Dragons Change
by AdmiralCole22
Summary: When Moonwatcher shows up suddenly at Winter's doorstep seven years after the events at Jade Mountain, it drags the two on a series of events neither could have predicted. Along the way, new friends will be made as an ancient enemy from Pyrrhia's past returns and powers thought as merely stories will resurface. What happens next will change the world forever.
1. Prologue

Dragons Change

**Edit (5/24/19): So... I just realized that I had accidentally replaced this prologue with the wrong document...oops. XP**

**Sorry about that. Were people as confused as me when I clicked on it and saw the wrong thing? It's quite embarrassing, so you have my sincerest apologies for that. I feel so bad...**

**Anyway, i realize that this next chapter is taking a long time, but I WILL have it out before the end of the month! Mark my words! Until then, may your road lead you to warm sands. ^O^**

**AN: This is the (very) short prologue for my new story Dragons Change. It will end up as a Moon x Winter fic for reasons I will explain at the bottom along with my general inspiration for why I wrote this in the first place. You don't have to read it as it is quite long, but if you do read it, Thank You. I hope you all enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Wings of Fire**_**. If I did, Moon would have ended up with Winter instead of Qibli.**

**Warning: Rated T for occasional bad language and future references of physical abuse. If you think I should raise the rating, do not hesitate to tell me. Warnings such as these will displayed before chapters that contain them.**

Prologue:

Winter sighed as he finally finished his latest report on scavenger behavior. It had taken a lot longer than he had originally anticipated. As a result, it was now almost midnight and he was unbelievably tired_._ It was a good thing he had finished the paper, but he was unsure why exactly he had stayed up to finish it tonight. He could have finished it tomorrow or the next day…or the next day…or the next. _After all, it's not like anyone actually takes my work seriously. Nobody really cares if I finish it or not. _

He leaned back after that particular thought and reflected on what his tired mind had told him as he looked around his office. Winter was no stranger to thoughts of self-depreciation and other such unsavory topics, but it had been a while since he had had one. As his mind drifted to the past, his gaze slowly went to the silver bracelet with skyfire embedded in it that _she_ had given him after she ran off with Qibli. He kept it on as a constant reminder of his past mistakes, but six years can change a dragon. For him, he was lucky enough to find a friend that believed in him and his work. Some people aren't lucky enough to have such loyal support. Even if it was from a Mudwing. _I owe Flint everything. For helping me start the sanctuary, for helping me overcome my self-doubt, and just for being there for me._

Winter went to stand up to finally go to sleep as he was not willing to listen to his tired mind's self-loathing tangents when the shutter on his window suddenly blew open because of the storm that had been going since around noon yesterday. The extremely hard and cold winds common to Ice Kingdom storms had blown out the candle and scattered a bunch of papers which caused him to stumble around in the dark before eventually stumbling and falling. _Perfect. This is JUST what I needed right now._ Eventually he was able to get up and shut the window shutters tight. When he picked up and lit the candle again, he was greeted by the sight of all of his neatly organized piles of paper thrown about the room. And these weren't small stacks either, no. These stacks had several dozen papers each in them and there were at least eight stacks. In layman's terms, a LOT of papers.

Winter just stared at the mess, not able to decide if he felt enraged or resigned about the large mess he had to clean up before he could sleep. _Then again, I could wait until tomorrow. _He looked around the room again. _Though I should just suck it up and get it over with. *sigh* Another sleepless night. Flint is NOT going to be happy with me doing this to myself again, but it has to get done either way. Better to just get it out of the way. _

His mind made up; Winter set to work. The most infuriating part was that many of the reports had multiple pages, so picking up the pages was the easy part. That only took about thirty minutes. Next, he had to sort them. And THAT was not going to be fun. Two hours and a string of unintelligible curses later…and he was only about halfway done. It turns out there were a lot more papers than he realized and that was saying something.

Winter was tired. So tired he was past tired. So tired he was running on metaphorical fumes. And the more tired he got, the more frustrated and angrier he became. As he was shuffling through the mountains of papers, his famous scowl stuck to his face, he finally had had enough and just dumped the rest of papers in a stack on his desk. "Screw this! I'm going to sleep!"

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

"You have got to be KIDDING ME! I JUST WANT TO GO TO SLEEP!" Winter yelled in frustration. He started walking towards the front door fully intent on chewing out the poor, unfortunate soul who dared to knock on the door. Winter was beyond livid at this point. He had never been one to skip sleep very much because he knew he would always get like this if he did. When he did, however, everyone knew to stay away from him until he got at least ten hours to calm himself down.

On his way towards the front door, he noticed Flint stick his head out of his room on the right side of the main hallway to see what the commotion was. As he saw Winter approaching, he asked, "Everything okay, boss?"

"Yeah, what the hell is that noise?" another voice spoke up, Winter turned to the source of the voice and noticed Flint doing the same. They saw a male Skywing, Titan, who was walking up the hallway behind Winter.

Winter didn't even stop walking and just answered both of them with, "Go back to sleep. I'll handle this." Winter vaguely noticed the venom in his voice and wondered if Flint or Titan did, too. If they did, they were smart enough not to comment on it. Right now, he was too tired to care either way.

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

Winter was ten feet away from the front door when the second round of knocks came. He all but lunged at the door. In the back of his mind, he wondered who in the name of the moons would be out in this storm, at his front door, at this time of night. But he was still too tired to care. If not for his frustration and anger fueling him, he was sure he would have already collapsed.

When he got to the door, though, he ripped it open despite the storm and was fully prepared to deliver a verbal tirade that would make even the most seasoned and grumpy Skywing soldier blush. His voice disappeared and his anger instantly subsided as he saw a shivering female Nightwing staring back at him. He instantly recognized the silver teardrop scales and dark green eyes that he hadn't seen in almost seven years.

"M-Moon!?"

**AN: I hope you all enjoyed the prologue. The first actual chapter will be significantly longer than this (prologues are supposed to be short after all) and should be out sometime next week, hopefully. I promised an explanation so here it is. (And it's a long one).**

**It is best split into three points:**

**1.)As of today (2/6/19), I have just finished the second book in the series and am already in love with the universe. Even though I haven't actually read the books that introduce Moon, Winter, etc… I have learned enough from reading others' fanfictions and on Wikia to know that Winter is my favorite character. Why? Because he is one of two really emotionally complicated characters in the series (with Peril being the other). Because of that, I can see myself in him a little bit because we both have deep emotional turmoil that we experience.**

**2.)With the whole Moonbli and WinterWatcher debate going on I decided to look into it as unbiased as I could be. I can see both perspectives well enough, though I decided to go with the latter. The reason being that Moon strikes me as the kind of dragon/person that would try to help people that actually need it. Even if she didn't have mind reading powers, she would know that Qibli's life is pretty dang good. He just got adopted by a new family with Sunny as his sister and Queen Thorn as his mother and is probably living the good life in the Sandwing palace. Winter, on the other hand, lost his tribe, his family, and, in his mind, his friends. He believes himself to be alone in the world with no one to count on or help him. Since she does, however, she should be aware of at least some of his internal struggle. Knowing this, I feel as if she would go with Winter in order to help him unravel his emotions and fight through his pain. In essence, she would try to fix him. That's just my opinion, though. Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts. I just thought I should explain mine.**

**3.)I recently rediscovered the song Pieces by Sum 41 and after listening to it over 20 times in the past 24 hours (don't judge me), I felt as though it fit Winter's character perfectly. Not only do the lyrics themselves fit, but the singer has a voice that I could see Winter having if he was real. I've been dabbling with the idea of implementing that song into the story later or perhaps writing a short songfic for it. If you want either of those, send a review or message telling me which one you would rather have me do. If you don't want me to, send a review/message saying so.**

**If you got this far, thanks for taking the time to read this long explanation of mine. It means a lot. **

**Until next time,**

**AdmiralCole22**


	2. Chapter 1

Dragons Change

**AN: I know I promised a longer chapter but dang, I didn't think it would turn out to be 7.7k words. **

**Before the chapter I wanted to say a few things. **

**First, I have a plan to include Pieces by Sum 41 in chapter 3. If anyone doesn't want that speak up because it can be skipped as it isn't in a plot sensitive scene. It would be bonus material only. If everyone's okay with that, it will be in chapter 3, so you have about a month (hopefully) to decide.**

**Second, Reviews:**

**Ottomatican: I already answered your review in a PM, but for those who read it I tell you this: I put thought into what he said before he actually said it. That is why this story takes place seven years after Jade Mountain as a continuation of their stories, not an AU. (ie Moon still chose Qibli) I also promised a shout-out to you so... SHOUT OUT TO OTTOMATICAN, MY FIRST REVIEWER!**

**Saibi-of-the-IceWings: That is a good song, but it doesn't quite fit the mood of the story. Nice suggestion, though. That was the first time I'd heard it.**

**Runereader of the Nightwings: Oh, you have no idea. :P**

**Warnings: Brief mentions of suicide and physical abuse. Nothing too extreme. If you think this warrants a rating change, tell me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. However, my OC Flint belongs to me. The other characters introduced are merely names on faces.**

Chapter 1:

Winter stared in shocked disbelief; his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. After she had started dating Qibli, and he had run away from Jade Mountain, Winter had fully expected to never see Moon again. In fact, he had kind of counted on it. Thinking of her and everything he had done wrong brought nothing but pain. Of course, Flint had helped ease some of that burden, but it still hurt sometimes.

Yet, here she was, standing at his doorstep, shivering in the cold, staring up at him with an expression that almost mirrored his own. Winter tried to say something, tried to move, tried anything, but his mind and body had frozen up.

Winter wasn't prepared for something like this. He didn't WANT to be prepared for something like this. He thought that maybe he was hallucinating from his lack of sleep, so he closed his eyes briefly and reopened them only to see that she was still standing there.

"W-W-Wint-ter-r, h-h-elp-p m-m-me," was all Moon was able to say before her eyes fluttered and she collapsed into the snow. He sprung into action to try and catch her, but his mind was still swimming from hearing her voice again after so long and he collapsed onto the floor, also. Fearing the worst, he picked himself up and gently laid a claw along her neck…there was a pulse, so she was merely unconscious, but it was also faint. She was also cold. A lot colder than was safe.

Winter didn't know how long she had been in that storm, he didn't know why she was here after so long, and he had no idea what to do. So, he did the first thing that came to mind.

He called for help.

"SOMEBODY, HELP ME!" Winter hoped that someone had heard him as he tried to pick Moon up and failed. His exhaustion had come back to hit him at the worst time and his legs buckled under his and Moon's combined weight. When he fell, he hit his head on the floor. He felt dizzy. He felt sick.

He felt useless.

Flint was the first dragon he saw coming. Winter saw him take one look at the scene before he started sprinting down the hallway to help. When he reached them, Flint grabbed Winter's head with his forepaw to pry his gaze away from her. "Boss, you okay!?" Winter didn't respond. Though he was staring straight at Flint's worried face, his sight was elsewhere. In his mind, Winter was reliving the last conversation he had ever had with her. It had been seven years ago on the night that he had left Jade Mountain-two weeks after the Darkstalker debacle.

_Winter stood at the exit to Jade Mountain and looked out into the night sky. There were no clouds in sight, making the moons clearly visible. His shoulders and wings were slumped, his tail scraped against the stone and his ears were flat against his head. There was moisture building behind his eyes. For the first time since he was a hatchling, Winter was struggling not to cry. He knew what he had to do. He knew he had to leave. Staying here wasn't an option anymore. _

_She had chosen Qibli instead of him. She had thought he would understand, that he would be the friend she thought he was and be happy for her, that he would simply move on. She was wrong. _

_She had broken him._

_Even after his father died, even after he had been disowned by his mother and exiled from his tribe, even after Darkstalker, Winter had simply moved on. He had accepted what had happened and didn't let anyone see how deeply hurt he had been. He never let them see them get to him. When she turned her back on him that night, however, and left with Qibli, for the first time in his life, Winter's emotions had broken free. He had accepted the fact that he had only himself to blame for pushing her away. Somehow, that just made it hurt worse._

_It hurt so bad he had seriously considered taking his own life._

_Winter wouldn't take his own life, however much he had been tempted, though. His upbringing, his very existence wouldn't allow that, so he settled for the next best thing. He would simply leave. He would leave Jade Mountain and his "friends" behind forever along with everything that he owned._

_Maybe he would be able to start up his scavenger sanctuary like he had dreamed of. Then again, maybe he wouldn't. He didn't know what his future held or where it would take him, but he knew anywhere was better than here. There were simply too many bad memories. He couldn't handle the constant reminders of his failures and his mistakes anymore. All he knew for certain was that staying here was not an option anymore._

_As Winter was about to push off from the ledge and enter the wide, unknown world, he heard somebody's frantic clawsteps running his way. 'Doesn't matter, they won't stop me from leaving',_ _he thought to himself._

"_You don't know that!" _

_He froze at the sound of the voice belonging to the one who had hurt him beyond measure. He didn't move, and he kept his mind clear so as to not give anything else away._

_He heard Moon stop several paces behind him. "Winter, please! Don't go! I don't want you to leave!" His breath hitched, and he almost let out a sob before catching himself. She couldn't mean that, could she? After all, she had turned her back on him. _

"_That's not true and you know it! I didn't realize it would hurt you like this! I didn't know!" He heard her voice get progressively more emotional as she spoke and risked a glance back towards her. When he saw the moonlight reflecting of the steady stream of tears flowing out of her eyes, his anger spiked. SHE felt sorry for HIM!? After what she did, she didn't deserve to feel sorry for him._

"_Know what!?" he swung around and snarled at her. "How much I really cared for you!? How much I hated myself for hurting you so much!? How much you really meant to me!? HOW MUCH I LOVED YOU!?" His voice had progressively gotten louder with each word until he had ended up yelling his last question._

_She stepped back a step and stared at him with a mix of sadness and fear. Seeing her look at him like that made his anger dissipate almost instantly and was replaced with self-loathing again. Except now it was laced with guilt and it hurt even more. He looked down and bowed his head, not willing to look her in the eyes anymore._

"_I know, Winter. I care about you, too. And because I care about you, I don't want you to leave. You have friends here…Winter, look at me." He lifted his eyes after a moment and looked at her, though his head was still low with shame. "Winter, your friends still care about you. They can help you." She slowly raised his chin to the same level as hers and looked him in the eye, "I can help you."_

_Winter just stood there staring into her eyes. He was so tempted to believe her. He wanted to, but he knew the truth and he felt as if she did, too. "We both know that's not true. I'm beyond helping, and I don't want to hurt you anymore. You shouldn't have to be burdened with my problems. It's best if I leave and find a new start somewhere else."_

_He backed out of her grasp, turned around and was about to take off when she grabbed his shoulder. "Wait, Winter." He paused and looked back at her. "Where will you go?" He hadn't actually thought much about that. He just figured he would wing it. He saw Moon smile slightly, "That's a terrible pun."_

_Winter looked at her confused before doing a mental rewind. When he realized what she meant he smiled slightly, too. "I guess it was, even if unintentional." Winter's smile disappeared as he gazed out towards the horizon and said, "Maybe I'll go to the Rainforest Kingdom. I heard the Rainwings were welcoming to travelers. They might help me."_

"_I could go with you." It was clear to Winter that she was just stalling by this point and was using anything she could think of to make him stay that much longer. She didn't really mean that. She knew her place was here._

_Winter just shook his head and looked back at her, "You've made your choice, Moon. Your place is here with Qibli." Winter paused and looked back out to the horizon, "But mine is out there somewhere."_

"_Then take this," Winter looked back and noticed her grab a bracelet from a satchel draped over her side that he hadn't noticed before now. It was a silver band meant to be worn on one's forearm that was studded with skyfire. It was beautiful. She held it out to him and Winter just looked at it. "You know, so those pesky Nightwings can't read your mind." She tried to joke, but Winter saw the sad smile and the dullness in her eyes._

_He grabbed the band and put it on his upper arm since it was made for fully grown dragons and was bigger than he was used to. Winter wanted so bad to embrace her, to beg her to come with him, to show her how much he loved her, but he didn't do any of those things. Instead he replied, "If you ever need my help, Moon, come and find me. You can always count on me." Then he turned away and took flight._

_As he flew away into the night, he heard a whisper on the wind. As he strained his ears to pick up what it said, he heard Moon's voice say, "I'll never forget you." _

_He didn't even try to stop the tears from falling this time._

Winter was pulled out his daze by a slap to the face. He blinked quickly and saw Flint's worried face right in front of his. "WINTER! Three moons, you scared me! Are you okay?" As the memory faded to the back of his mind once more, Winter started coming to his senses and nodded. He looked around and saw that, apparently, only a few seconds had passed. The memory had felt longer than that, though. It had felt real.

Reminiscing about the past could wait, though. Right now, Moon needed help. "TITAN!" He yelled loud enough for Flint to wince.

"WHAT!?" a grumpy sounding voice replied back. By the sound of it, Titan had been asleep again and had been woken up by the constant yelling. Winter noticed him come around the corner and stop dead in his tracks. "Holy Sh—"

"Go start a fire in the lounge!" Titan nodded with wide eyes while seemingly frozen in place. "NOW!" Titan shook his head, looked around frantically before all but falling over himself as he started sprinting down the way Winter had originally come from. "Flint, carry her there."

"What about you?" He asked, not moving.

"I'll be fine," Winter replied as he tried to stand. His legs, however, had another idea and buckled as he tried to stand. He noticed that Flint still hadn't moved and decided to try again, "Go! Take her and come back for me!"

Flint nodded and picked her up by looping her right foreleg around his neck and tossing her over his back. By that time, Titan had come back, "I, uh, I got the fire going."

Winter watched as Flint carried Moon off. Why hadn't he told them her name? It's not like they should know it, right? Winter had never told anyone about what happened between him and Moon. Not even Flint knew. So why did he hold her name back?

He noticed Titan staring at him on the ground as he yet again tried to stand and was unable. He sighed, "Help me up." Titan nodded and grabbed Winter much the way Flint had grabbed Moon except he let Winter use his back legs to help walk along."Take me to her."

Titan stopped and looked over at him confused, "Shouldn't you get some rest? You're too exhausted to even walk right now." Winter kept his gaze forward but growled deep in his throat and bared his teeth slightly. Titan blinked twice before continuing forward, "Alright I hear you, loud and clear. I'll take you to her."

As Titan helped Winter down the wall, they both saw Flint coming out of the room ahead of them, so Winter got his attention. "How is she, Flint?" Winter saw Flint turn his gaze to him and saw his slightly bewildered look.

"Normally I would berate you for not getting rest when you clearly need it, but I have a feeling you know more about her than you've told us." Winter was about to open his mouth to give some sort of explanation, but Flint lifted his claw up to stop him. "There's no easy way to say this, but she's got a decent amount of frostbite on her feet, tail, and ears. Not only that but she's covered in bruises from something."

Winter noticed Titan's confused look and heard him ask, "How can you tell?"

Flint moved so as to let Titan carry Winter into the lounge. The lounge was a large room able to easily fit eight full grown dragons with room to spare. It was meant as a sort of rec area with a large table that could seat four dragons as well as several mats for lounging around. The ceiling was a large skylight that let natural light in during the day while the large fireplace tucked against the back wall was used to light it up at night.

Titan carried him over next to the fireplace about five feet away from where Moon lay unconscious and set him down before moving back to talk with Flint. Soon after, he left the room and Flint watched him leave. _I still can't believe it. She's actually here._ Winter stared at her slumped form but noticed that Flint hadn't answered Titan's previous question. Winter noticed Flint sit beside him and look at him concernedly. "Who is she, Winter? How do you know her?"

On a normal day, Winter would have been surprised by these questions. Flint NEVER pushed to know more about his past. He always let Winter open up on his own. Because of that, Winter trusted Flint more than anyone else he knew.

Winter would trust Flint with his life.

For him to actively ask about Winter's past was unusual. Then again, so was their current situation. One does not simply open their front door and expect to see a half-dead dragoness laying in the snow. Winter internally flinched. _That was kind of morbid._ All things considered, if their positions were switched, he would be curious, too. "Her name is Moonwatcher." He answered after a short pause. "We…went to school together."

Flint looked at Winter a bit dubiously, obviously knowing he wasn't telling the truth…or at least not ALL of the truth. He decided to let the matter drop apparently, for instead he asked, "So…she's one of the friends that betrayed you and that you never wanted to see again?"

It was an honest question. It really was. Winter didn't really talk about Jade Mountain that much, and when he did, he was usually in a bad mood, so he tended to exaggerate certain things. He actually did remember telling Flint something along those lines a couple of years ago. He still flinched at what Flint had said, though. What he himself remembered saying. More than that: he felt as if he had been socked in the gut by a big, angry Mudwing, thrown into the mud, and left to wallow in his own misery.

Apparently, Flint realized how uncomfortable Winter had become because shortly afterward he said, "I'm sorry, Winter. I know it's hard for you to talk about your past, but stuff like this…" He paused to gesture towards the unconscious Nightwing. "…doesn't usually happen." Winter looked down despondently and felt Flint put his claw on his shoulder comfortingly. "Tonight's been rough on all of us. You should get some rest."

He felt Flint rub his shoulder reassuringly before Winter heard him turn and walk towards the door. He came back a minute later with a bundle of blankets that he had most likely sent Titan to fetch. He proceeded to silently wrap each of Moon's claws in their own blanket to help warm them up before draping one over her body. Winter laid his head down on his front claws while keeping his gaze on Moon's sleeping figure. His exhaustion had started to catch up to him by this point and the last thing he felt was a blanket being draped over his own body before hearing the door shut quietly behind him. Soon after he was asleep.

When Winter woke up, he judged it to be late afternoon the next day due to the amount of light and angle of the sun through the skylight. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in his usual room. _Where am I? _The second thing he noticed was the unconscious Nightwing five feet away from him. She looked to be about his age. She wasn't the largest female he had ever seen but she certainly wasn't small either. He thought that she was maybe two heads shorter than him. He also noticed the silver teardrop scales below her eyes. Winter stared at her in confusion and blinked. _Why does that kind of look like Moon?_

That was when memories of last night slammed into him like a fully-grown Skywing diving at full speed. "By the stars, Moon!" He got up so fast that his limbs became tangled in his blanket and he ended up stumbling. In order to prevent himself from face-planting, he subconsciously reached out to grab the nearest thing to catch himself.

Unfortunately, the closest thing to him was Moon herself.

As his front right forepaw landed on her left shoulder to support himself, he heard her give off a pained groan. Winter froze. After hearing that, he remembered Flint saying that she was covered in bruises. Being a dragon covered in scales—specifically a dragon covered in black scales—it is virtually impossible to tell whether one is bruised since the bruises are covered by the scales themselves.

Winter untangled himself from his blanket and tossed it across the room before uncovering her shoulder and pressing down slightly again. Her face contorted in slight pain. He tried her sides, her back, her neck, her forearms. Again and again she would wince or groan slightly after contact.

Winter sat there in silence wondering how she could have been injured so badly. Obviously, she had been attacked—hence the bruising—but why? Who would attack Moon and why would she come to him instead of going to Qibli? Did something happen to Qibli? Was that why she was here? _I'm obviously not going to get any answers until she wakes up._ He decided that he would go get some food for her for when she woke up.

His mind made up, Winter rose and walked towards the door and looked back at her once before exiting the room and quietly shutting the door behind him. He walked towards the kitchen and noticed Flint doing the same. It seemed like Flint noticed him, too, because he came up to talk with him. "Is she awake?" Winter shook his head. "Are you okay?"

Was he okay? Winter honestly didn't know the answer to that question. He probably wouldn't until he talked with Moon when she woke up. As far as he was concerned, this could turn out to be either an 'I should have stayed in bed' type of day or a 'run for the hills type of day.' He didn't know which of those would be worse either. "I don't know, Flint."

Flint nodded, seemingly understanding. As they got to the kitchen door, Flint said, "The others should be back sometime tomorrow before noon since the storm died out this morning." Winter merely nodded and started to go into the kitchen before Flint stopped him. "Look, I don't know your history with this Moonwatcher and I won't pry, but you know I'm here for you. You don't have to face your past alone."

Winter smiled sadly, "Thanks, Flint, but this time I do." Flint nodded and was about to turn away and leave when Winter said, "Flint, thanks for being here for me. I know I don't act like it sometimes, but I truly value your friendship. I owe you everything, after all."

Winter saw Flint smile. It was a genuine smile. The kind of smile that Winter liked to see on his friend's face. Flint stepped forward and warmly embraced him and Winter was more than happy to return it. "You don't owe me anything, Winter. Not after everything you've done for me. I'm just happy being here as your friend." Flint pulled back, flashed another smile, and headed back down the hallway towards the scavenger pens.

Forgetting his original purpose after his talk with Flint, Winter quickly made his way back towards the lounge to make sure Moon was still alright. As he drew near, he heard movement from inside the room. He decided to enter quietly so as to not startle her.

As he gently opened the door, he heard a slight gasp. He looked further into the room to see Moon staring back at him. She tried to stand but gave out a pained gasp when she put pressure on her claws. "Careful, you had some frostbite last night. Your feet might be a little tender." Moon didn't say anything. She merely sat there, taking in Winter's appearance. "Are you hungry?" No answer. "Thirsty?" Still no answer. Winter started to feel concerned now. Why wasn't she answering him? "Moon, are you—"

He was cut off as Moon launched herself at him. Winter closed his eyes and braced, fully expecting that she was trying to attack him. Instead he felt her wrap her arms around him in a tight embrace. Not only that but he could feel a trail of wetness going down his arm from where her head was nestled in the crook of his neck. He opened his eyes and saw her sobbing, so he returned her embrace somewhat awkwardly. "Moon? What's wrong?"

She didn't answer right away. She merely held on to him—obviously trying to find some sort of comfort. Winter didn't know why she was here, but he did know that whatever drove her here was serious for her to act like this.

It took several minutes for her to calm down enough to back away and answer his question, "I need your help, Winter." He nodded, and she took that as a sign to continue. "I didn't know who else to trust. It seemed like no one in the Sandwing Kingdom was willing to help me. I wouldn't have come if there was another option." She paused and looked down while shuffling her claws. "I know you probably hate me and never wanted to see me again, but I didn't know what else to do."

It took Winter several seconds to compose himself after her short speech. She thought he hated her? Sure he was still a little bitter about what had happened, but for the most part he had moved on. "I've felt a lot of things towards you, Moon, but I have never hated you. And it's not that I never wanted to see you again, but I never thought that I would. It's been seven years; I thought you had forgotten about me, honestly." Moon looked up at him surprised. "What?"

"Oh, uh, n-nothing." She looked away and shuffled her claws again. "I just thought you would have yelled at me by now." Winter visibly recoiled as if had been struck. Is that what she thought of him? Was that what kind of dragon she thought he was? Seeing his reaction, she quickly tried to correct herself. "No, I-I didn't mean it like that. I-I just." She sighed, "I'm sorry, Winter." She looked away and closed her eyes.

Seeing her like this hurt. It was obvious she was preparing for the verbal tirade that she expected to receive. Winter was silent for several moments; his gaze never left Moon's dejected form. "No. You have every right to say that." She looked back to him again with even more surprise than before. "I was a jerk back then. I should be the one that's sorry."

It looked as though Moon was fighting back tears once again. She looked down again and shut her eyes as the first tears started falling. "I-I s-should have gone w-with you that n-night," she said quietly.

"Moon, what's going on? You're starting to worry me." It was true. Winter had always thought that she had been happy leaving with Qibli. What had changed? What had happened between them to make her regret her choice? "Did you and Qibli have a fight? It's common for two dragons in a relationship to get into arguments." He paused and remembered all of her bruising, "Or was it more than just an argument?" He said with slight suspicion.

Moon shrunk down like she was about to get yelled at…or hit. "Moon, did he hurt you?" He said it low and quietly in order to try and sound gentle. Apparently, it didn't work because she started shaking. He walked up to where she was laying on the ground and gently put his claw on her shoulder. She started shaking harder. "Moon, look at me." She opened her eyes and stared into his worried eyes. "You're safe here. You don't have to worry about him hurting you again."

After she heard him say that, she looked up at him, "You promise?" Winter barely had time to nod before she lunged up and wrapped him in another hug. This time Winter didn't shy away and returned her embrace warmly.

"You're welcome to stay here for as long as you want. You can meet the others tomorrow when they get here." Moon nodded into his shoulder before pulling away. Winter noticed that the light was fading from the room, so he looked out through the skylight and saw that the sun was going down. "It's getting late. You should get some rest. I'll send Titan in to set up a fire for you if you want."

She tilted her head to the side—an obvious sign of confusion. "He's a Skywing that works here with me. He's a good guy. You can trust him."

She nodded her head. "A fire sounds nice." She paused as her stomach growled. She looked slightly embarrassed, "As would some food if that's not too much to ask."

Winter nodded, suddenly remembering why he had left before, and mentally smacked himself for forgetting to bring food for her. "I'll take care of it. Make yourself at home." He walked away and was about to leave through the door when he turned and said, "It's good to see you again, Moon."

She smiled at him, "It's good to see you again, too, Winter."

He left to return to his room for the night after telling Titan to get some food for Moon as well as starting a fire for her. When he got there, he laid down on his bed and tried to sleep. It came as a dark and restless void filled with his worst memories.

After the rough night Winter had had, he welcomed the knock on his door that woke him from his constant nightmares. He raised his head slowly. He may have been asleep, but it felt as though he had been awake all-night running and fighting for his life. He knew Moon's reappearance would cause problems for him, but he didn't think it would be this bad. He might need to have a talk with Flint later. Flint always listened to him. "Enter."

The door opened and a male Sandwing stuck his head through, "Are you okay, Winter? I thought I heard you whining in your sleep."

"Mojave? Why did you come back early?" Winter asked. He thought the others weren't getting back until noon.

Mojave looked around the room before setting his gaze back onto Winter, "We all got back an hour ago and we're not early. Dinner's in three hours." Winter widened his eyes in surprise. That meant it was mid-afternoon. "Flint said we should let you sleep. Something to do with a Nightwing? I doubt he meant Raven."

Winter looked down in thought. He appreciated Flint's thoughtfulness, but he didn't want Moon to think that he had forgotten about her. He also promised that he would introduce everyone to her, as well. He didn't want to go out with his current mood, though. He needed to talk with Flint before anything else.

"Uh, Winter, you okay?" Winter was brought out of his thoughts by Mojave's question and raised his gaze to answer him.

"Can you find Flint and tell him that I need to talk with him?" Winter asked. Mojave nodded and left without another word. Everyone working at the Sanctuary knew that Winter's past haunted him at times and understood his need for privacy. No one asked about it. They also understood that though Winter trusted everyone at the Sanctuary, Flint was the only one he trusted enough to be fully open with. No one complained about it, though. They all respected Winter. If Winter was asking to talk with Flint alone, Mojave knew not to ask questions.

It took about five minutes of waiting when the door re-opened and Flint walked in. He shut the door and moved to sit beside Winter who was still staring at the floor in thought. He was quiet for several moments as he observed him before speaking—concern evident in his voice, "I haven't seen you like this in a long time, Winter. Does this have something to do with Moonwatcher?"

Winter nodded. He knew he could trust Flint, but that didn't make it any easier to tell the truth. He always thought he would be ridiculed for his love for Moon. Not many dragons would accept the idea of an Icewing being in love with a Nightwing. The other tribes probably wouldn't accept it, either—even with the increase in cross-tribe relationships. "I—" he started and paused. He didn't know how best to say it. "When I left Jade Mountain, I swore I would leave everything behind and move on."

Winter paused and swallowed heavily. _Here goes nothing._ "She was the only one I couldn't forget." He looked up and into Flint's eyes, "I loved her, Flint. I still do…"

Flint decided to use this pause to ask a question, "Shouldn't you be happy to see her again, then?"

Winter shook his head and looked away. "You know how I used to be, Flint. I made mistakes and she left with another dragon. She didn't feel the same."

Flint looked away before asking, "Are you sure?" He looked back and saw Winter nodding dejectedly. "Because I think she does." Winter opened his eyes and looked to him for clarification. "I've been keeping her company today and every time I mention your name, I see a little sparkle in her eye. She might not love you—at least not yet—but she does care about you. Maybe as a friend or maybe a little more but I know she cares about you, Winter. She didn't tell me why she was here and I didn't ask, but she did say that she was glad she came. That she was glad you decided to help her."

Winter lifted his head and his voice was hopeful, "She said that?"

Flint nodded. "I can't tell you what to do, Winter, but I'll give you some advice. You should have a talk with her. It won't be easy, but I think it needs to be done."

Winter nodded. He had planned to talk with her anyway. He just didn't want to do it yesterday while Moon was still shaken over their previous conversation. He would do it tonight after introducing everyone. "Thanks, Flint. I needed this."

Flint wrapped his foreleg around Winter's shoulders and a gave a light squeeze while flashing a smile. "What are friends for?" He paused for a second before asking, "Are you okay?"

Winter nodded, "I am. Can you tell everyone to gather outside the lounge in ten minutes? I promised Moon I would introduce her to everyone." Flint nodded and headed for the door as Winter followed behind him.

They went separate ways after leaving Winter's room. Winter headed towards the lounge while Flint went to gather the others for the introductions. When Winter got to the room, he knocked, "Come in!"

He opened the door and saw Moon looking through several different papers. On closer inspection, he saw that they were reports written by the others at the Sanctuary about scavengers. None of them were his. "Are mine not good enough or something?" he half-joked.

She looked up and—just as Flint said—saw her face light up slightly. "Oh hey, Winter! I already read them." He looked confused. He hadn't been gone long enough for her to read all of them. He had written a lot of reports. It would take several days for someone to read all of them. Seemingly sensing his confusion, she clarified, "I made sure to read them as you published them. I wanted to know what you were up to."

She had said it like it was no big deal, but it meant the world to him. If she was reading his papers, she hadn't forgotten about him. He smiled at her. "What did you think about them?"

She put down the papers and looked at him with a smile, "Some of the things you say scavengers do are really funny, but I don't think you give them enough credit. They're smarter than everyone believes."

Winter was about to reply when the door re-opened and seven dragons entered the room. "I got them all, boss!" came Flint's voice from the back. The lounge was one of the largest rooms in the facility, but it still was a bit tight for all of them to squeeze in.

Winter noticed Moon looking around the room at the new faces a little nervously. _It seems like some things never change._ There were a few whispered words here and there so Winter cleared his throat to get their attention. "As you've probably heard, we have a new guest here. This is Moonwatcher. She's…" he looked back at her for a moment before continuing. "She's a friend of mine. She asked to stay here for awhile and I gave her permission. I expect you all to treat her as a guest." He saw the crowd nod, so he decided to continue.

Winter pointed towards a Sandwing on the far left of the group. "This is Mojave." He was the oldest of the group at forty-five. He looked more like a soldier with his menagerie of scars and rippling muscles that would rival a Mudwing's. Ten years ago; that had been true. After the war, he had nowhere to go and no family left to turn to. After failing in several different occupations, Mojave discovered his fascination with scavengers. He decided to join Winter's sanctuary three years ago. Though not the smartest, he was dedicated to his work and had a passion to learn. He was guided by the second in the group.

"This is Swordfish." Swordfish was a Seawing with an insatiable craving for knowledge. He was the newest member of the group with only seven months at the sanctuary. He rarely stayed at one place for long as he liked to travel and learn about many different subjects instead of just learning about one. Scavengers had taken his interest lately, but it was likely that he would be leaving to his next destination within the next few months. What made it more miraculous was that he was the youngest of the group at only nine years old.

The third dragon in the group was a Nightwing named Raven. "This is Raven." No one knew much about Raven's background. She didn't really talk much. Winter knew she was somewhere in her twenties and something bad had happened in her past. Instead of volunteering, she had been hired.

"I assume you already know Flint." The mentioned Mudwing gave off a smile and waved his paw. Winter noticed Moon wave back with a smile, too.

"Next to him is Amber, our cook." Amber was a close friend of Flint's that he had invited to join the facility two years ago. She was fifteen—two years older than Flint—and was rumored to be the best cook in the Mud Kingdom. Winter was inclined to believe that.

"You've met Titan." Moon nodded. Titan was a twenty-one-year-old Skywing that hadn't been content with his life in the Sky Kingdom. Previously, he had been a tutor for the less fortunate dragonets in the outlying villages, but he had never been truly happy with his life. When he had heard of the Sanctuary, he had gladly dropped his old life of traveling across Pyrrhia for a much more static lifestyle.

"And lastly is Flare, Titan's wife. She's our courier." Flare looked Moon up and down before smiling gently. Flare had been the eighteen-year-old daughter of a wealthy noble in the Sky Kingdom that had been due to be married to another noble—one she didn't like. They had literally bumped into each other one day two years ago, and instead of finding Titan's clumsiness annoying, Flare found it quite adorable. They decided to get to know each other better and before long they had fallen in love and had run away together. They both had abandoned their old lives and neither regretted it. They had both joined a year-and-a-half ago.

Moon smiled at each of them in turn and when Winter was finished with introductions decided to say something, "Uh, h-hi. I'm Moonwatcher but everyone just calls me Moon. It's good to meet you all. I hope I won't be too much of a bother to all of you."

She looked embarrassed after speaking. Winter assumed she was hearing someone's thoughts. "Moon, do you want to tell them?" She looked at him unsure for a little bit before her eyes widened. Her gaze drifted down to his arm where the band she had given him sat. She was silent for a moment before making eye contact with him.

She looked away and nodded after a moment before saying quietly, "I have telepathic powers."

Winter looked at the groups' reactions. Flare looked extremely embarrassed while Titan was trying to talk to her about something.

"Incredible!" was Swordfish's input.

"She has what?" was from Mojave.

"Telepathic powers, Mojave." was Swordfish's reply. Mojave still looked confused. "Ugh, she can read minds." Winter chuckled lightly at Mojave's dumfounded expression.

Raven looked impressed.

Amber looked curious.

Flint looked like he already knew.

Moon looked as if she was about to say something else when Winter saw her face blanch. It seemed as if Winter wasn't the only one who noticed. Over the cacophony of voices involved in their own conversations, Winter heard Flint's voice, "Moon, what's—"

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

The entire room fell quiet. "At this rate, we're going to need a new door." Winter looked over to Titan with an annoyed expression. Now wasn't the time for wisecracks. This could be serious.

**BANG! BANG!** "WINTER!"

Winter froze. He felt everyone's gaze turn to him, but he didn't say anything. That voice sounded familiar. He looked over to Moon and saw her staring at him with fear written over her face. Then it clicked.

That had been Qibli's voice.

Winter stood there for a moment more before composing himself and giving orders, "Flint, take Moon to a spare room. The rest of you get back to work. No one says anything about Moon until he leaves."

Winter walked out of the room to the front door of the facility. He was nervous. He hadn't seen Qibli in seven years, but according to Moon he had changed for the worse. He didn't want Qibli to know something was up, so he put his Icewing persona he hadn't used in years back in place. He stood strong and proud with his head held high and he made himself look like an Icewing should. Even if just for the moment, Winter felt like his old self. He had become Prince Winter again.

He reached the door and opened it to see a slightly shivering Sandwing standing in the snow with his fist poised to knock again. Qibli paused and lowered his claws back to the ground. Winter observed his old rival. He had grown big like all Sandwings did—even bigger than Winter. What amazed Winter, though he didn't let it show, were the myriad of crisscrossing scars running up and down Qibli's body. What scared Winter, however, was the malicious gleam in the dark recesses of his eyes. This Qibli looked dangerous.

He looked like a killer.

Winter didn't let any of his emotions show on his outward appearance. He made himself seem like the cold dragon Qibli once knew. "Qibli? What do you—"

He was interrupted before he could finish. "Can we skip the pleasantries? I'm freezing my tail off."

Winter's left eye ridge rose. "You haven't seen me in seven years and that's the first thing you say?"

"Spare me your formalities, Winter. Where's Moonwatcher?" Qibli had said Winter's name as if it had been some form of poison. He was also dead serious. This wasn't the same Qibli Winter knew seven years ago. He would have to be careful.

The fact that Qibli had said Moon's full name wasn't lost on him either. No one called her Moonwatcher—especially not her friends. If Qibli was referring to Moon by her full name, the situation was worse than he thought. "Why would she be here?"

"I was told she left the palace flying north four days ago. This is the only place that she would come to in this direction." Qibli looked past Winter, so he looked back too, silently dreading what he might see. He only saw Raven coming up the hallway, though, so he turned back to Qibli who was getting impatient.

"She's not here, Qibli. Maybe she flew north to throw you off her trail," He suggested.

Qibli's eyes narrowed dangerously, almost daring Winter to argue with what he was about to say, "You really think she's smart enough to do that?" For him to blatantly insult Moon was a testament to how far he had fallen. Qibli started to turn away and spread his wings but stopped to give a warning, "I'll believe you for now, but if I find out she was here and you lied to me, you will not like the consequences, Winter. She belongs to me."

Winter watched as Qibli took off into the sky heading southeast. He shut the door and turned around only to see Flint further down the hallway. He looked somber with his eyes downcast, "You should go to her," was all he said before turning away towards the scavenger pens.

Winter blinked. _That didn't sound ominous at all._ He decided to heed Flint's advice, though, and headed for the rooms near the back of the facility. Before he got there, he heard the sounds of soft sobbing coming from one of the rooms, so he made his way to that one.

The room was lit by skylights like most rooms in the facility and Moon was laying on the bed with her head beneath her claws. She looked up at the sound of the door and, upon seeing Winter, jumped up and embraced him while still sobbing quietly. "Shh, it's okay, Moon. He's gone."

She shook her head, "No, this is not okay. It is not okay. O-okay-y-y," the last word came out more emotional than the rest of her sentence. After several minutes she calmed down enough to say, "I heard everything, Winter."

He nodded. "What happened to him, Moon?"

She shifted to better look at him, "I don't know. No one would tell me. All I know is that he started changing when Queen Thorn gave him a new job around three years ago. I went to her before I left and she said that I should stay out of Sandwing affairs for my own safety."

Winter looked up through the skylight at the steadily sinking sun. "Maybe I could go talk to her," he suggested.

She looked up at him surprised, "You don't have to do that, Winter. I didn't want to cause you any trouble. I should just go back. I should—"

She continued on this tangent for a while before Winter interrupted her, "Moon, stop." She did. He raised his arm to show his bracelet she had given him, "Seven years ago, I promised you that if you came to me for help, I would help you. I don't go back on my promises." She lifted her gaze from the bracelet to his eyes before hugging him again.

As they sat there, Winter was lost in his own thoughts. He would do anything for Moon. He would go to the Sandwing palace and beyond if she asked him to. He would confront all the queens of Pyrrhia if she wanted him to. And he would kill anyone who threatened her along the way.

As that last thought entered his mind, he was glad he was still wearing his armband.

**AN: Pretty intense, right? Right!? Yeah you know it was. I hope everyone liked it. Chapter 2 should be up in about two weeks (again, hopefully). For those who are curious (SPOILERS!) it will include a flashback concerning how Winter met Flint and it should shed some light on our Mudwing friend.**

**Also, How many people do you think are going to yell at me for that meme insert?**

**'Til Next Time,**

**AdmiralCole22**


	3. Chapter 2

Dragons Change

**AN: So you might be wondering why I'm so early submitting this. Long story short I started writing what I had planned for this chapter (as well as a few things I hadn't but fit with and enhanced the plot) and got about halfway through when I noticed my word count was at 6.4k, so I decided instead of having one loooooooong chapter, I would have two shorter chapters. Not that 6.4k words is short, but I just didn't want one chapter to be something crazy like 12k words. What I originally had left to write about in chapter 2 will be in the new chapter 3, so the Pieces by Sum 41 songfic will now be in chapter 4. Chapter 3 should hopefully be up before March 1.**

**Instead of answering reviews separately, I'll just answer most of them in a short teaser:**

**You get answers for Qibli's behavior at the end of the next chapter. **

**If that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will. **

**If you like the concept of the prologue and chapter 1, I recommend reading The Moon's Winter by Theresalwaysthatone. It's a really good one-shot that I hope you all go read (as well as the rest of their stories). If you do, I just want to say I DIDN'T STEAL IDEAS. They sent me a review after I uploaded chapter 1 and pointed out how similar the stories were. They're cool with it, I'm cool with it, so you guys should be cool with it. It is merely contributed to coincidence as well as the fact that great minds think alike that the two stories are so similar.**

**Also before you read this chapter, there is a small bit about religion about 2000 words down (if you feel like counting) that is in no way, shape, or form meant to be offensive to anyone. Please don't think it is. Other than that, there are no warnings in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Wings of Fire series.**

Chapter 2:

True to his word, Winter left the Sanctuary at first light the next morning. As always when he leaves, Flint was left in charge. Winter had made Flint promise to protect Moon while he was away. She had been happy for the help, of course, but it was hard for her to let him go since he had been the only one willing to help her.

As he flew through the wide, open skies heading towards the Sandwing palace, he contemplated what he might say to Queen Thorn. He needed to be calm, collected, yet firm in the coming conversation. It wouldn't do any good to waltz in there demanding answers at the top of his lungs. He also had to be respectful. Being rude would just make it harder—if not impossible—to get the answers he sought.

This was going to be difficult.

Being an Icewing, he was naturally cold and arrogant. He had been taught since hatching that all other tribes were nothing but barbarians who didn't know what true civilization was. He had mellowed over time, though. Flint had once said he acted more like a Nightwing. Strangely enough, Winter hadn't been offended by that comment—rather he had been somewhat pleased by it—but times of extreme stress sometimes brought out his inner Icewing.

This was one of those times. Moon meant the world to him and to see her like this really damaged his calm. To know that it was due to Qibli was even worse. What had made him change so much? Qibli had never struck Winter as the kind of dragon that would do this. Whatever Queen Thorn was making him do couldn't have been good.

He continued with his musings until the blazing sun had become too much for his body. Icewings weren't meant to live in a desert. Winter hadn't left the Sanctuary in a long time and when he did, he usually went with Flint to the Mud Kingdom. The mud was absolutely dreadful, but it was better than this blazing heat. As such, his knowledge of the desert's vastness was less than satisfactory.

When he spotted a small oasis to the southeast, he decided to stop for a drink of water. He drank his fill and spotted a nice shady spot to lie in. While still hot, it was better than standing in the sun. It wasn't good enough, though, because he soon felt himself passing out. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was the sound of rapid clawsteps coming towards him.

Winter awoke on a cold, stone surface. The last thing he remembered was being in the desert, so how did he get here? He kept his breaths calm and deep because he didn't want anyone to know he was there in case someone else was. He shifted his claws slightly and didn't feel any chains, so he—probably—wasn't a prisoner. Next, he opened his eyes slightly and saw he was in a cave lit by a single fire. Farther away, he saw the entrance to the cave and noticed the stars and moons were out.

That means he had been out cold for at least nine hours. The temperature had dropped drastically since he had passed out this morning which was most likely why he had awakened. The temperature was low enough for his cold body to function properly.

He noticed that there was no one else in the cave with him, so he decided to go while he could. He didn't know who had brought him here. Or why. They could have been hostile for all he knew. Seeing how he was unchained, though, that probably wasn't the case. Still, he didn't want to stick around.

Winter got up and made it to the cave entrance when he heard clawsteps coming his way from the left. He swung around and settled into a battle stance when he heard a startled gasp. Winter saw a large Sandwing standing there watching him with a surprised expression. She was undoubtedly beautiful. Winter was sure that dragons would line up just to catch a glimpse of her. That's when he saw the large, horizontal scar on her neck.

Winter immediately relaxed his stance as his eyes opened wide in surprise. "Princess Blaze," he said with a slight bow of his head.

He noticed her smile slightly at the mention of her name, "It's just Blaze now, please. I seem to be at a disadvantage, however."

Winter nodded, "My name is Winter." He paused and looked around at the sandy expanse surrounding them, "What are you doing out here, Blaze? I thought Queen Thorn didn't like when you left the palace."

Blaze studied him for a moment, "You're the ex-prince that started the Sanctuary?" Winter nodded. "You don't get out much do you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

She smirked, "I'll take that as a yes. Thorn kicked me out a little under three years ago and labeled me an outlaw. I've been living here since then. It's not so bad, actually. I've learned a lot since then. Being spoiled for most of my life made it hard at first, but I had to learn to survive pretty quick. The other option wasn't an option." Winter stood there baffled. He vaguely heard Blaze laughing at his expression, but he paid her no mind.

Queen Thorn had kicked Blaze out.

As far as Winter new, Thorn had treated Blaze almost like her own daughter even though Blaze was older than her. For Thorn to treat Moon like she did was bad enough—her former husband was a Nightwing, too—but to do this to Blaze…

What was happening in the Sandwing Palace?

Winter looked to her for some sort of guidance. Blaze walked towards the cave and beckoned him to follow. He complied. He sat in the back of the relatively shallow cave away from the blazing fire and watched her go through the supplies. "Why come here? Why not try to find asylum with one of the other tribes?"

She tossed two dried lizards at his feet, "I know it's probably not what you're used to, but it's all I have right now." Winter nodded in thanks. He was quite hungry. After he had finished Blaze spoke again, "I tried going to the Icewings, but Queen Snowfall wouldn't let me in—something about betraying them for not giving them the land I promised them. I wasn't MY fault I wasn't queen. I also didn't want to even TRY to go to the other tribes. I figured they wouldn't be happy to see me since they fought against me in the war." She paused to let that information sink in, "I suppose you want to know what happened?"

"What's happening at the palace, Blaze? First Moon comes to me for the first time in seven years and says that Qibli had become violent with her and that Thorn wouldn't do anything about it and now I learn that she kicked you out. I thought Thorn was a good queen, but she's starting to sound more like Scarlet," he replied.

She nodded solemnly, "It's a long story, but I suppose we have time. Moon is the Nightwing, right?" Winter nodded.

"Well, it started about three-and-a-half years ago. Qibli was a sweet if sarcastic dragon back then. We got along really well. He would joke around a lot, but he would never purposely hurt anyone. He treated Moon like she was a queen. She was his everything. One day Thorn had sent him on a personal favor of hers. She claimed that he was the only one she could trust."

She paused and watched a snake slither across her claws before picking it up and draping it across her shoulders. It looked at Blaze and flicked its tongue at her. She did the same to it before beginning her story again, "Looking back, Thorn had been acting suspicious for a few days before that. Eager to impress as always, Qibli readily agreed to help. He was gone for several days before coming back.

"He was different when he did. He looked and acted mostly the same, but I noticed him becoming more and more distant as time went on. A couple months and several personal favors went by and Qibli had started ignoring Moon more and more. I tried to help her several times, but Thorn would tell me it wasn't my problem. When he started insulting her, I couldn't stand by and watch anymore. I knew I had to do something."

The snake had started coiling itself around her neck and she had to remove it when it started contracting. "Smolder had been sympathetic towards Moon but by this time he had disappeared, too, so I went to Thorn and begged her to do something. She wouldn't be moved by my pleas, though. I didn't know what else to do, so I challenged her for the throne." Winter was so surprised by hearing this that he choked on air.

"Yeah, that was her reaction, too. Needless to say, the fight was over pretty quick. I didn't stand a chance. She had me at her mercy, but she didn't kill me. Instead she labeled me an outlaw and banished me from the kingdom. If I ever returned, it would be on pain of death. It was a shock to me and everyone else gathered. For one, she spared my life. Secondly, she and everyone else thought I wouldn't be able to survive on my own." She looked around at her collection of supplies and smiled, "I guess I showed them."

Winter looked down in thought before asking, "Don't Sandwing guards patrol every inch of this desert? How have you not been found yet?"

"This is a relatively uninhabited part of the desert. That oasis isn't big enough to support many dragons. Plus, I only go out at night for the most part when it's too cold for most Sandwings. That's when I gather all of my supplies. I usually sleep through most of the day because of that," she replied.

"Then how did—" Winter started.

"How did I find you?" He nodded. "Coincidence. I couldn't sleep today for some reason, so I decided to risk a quick trip to the oasis for a drink. I know all of the guard schedules, so I knew I would be safe. That's when I saw you unconscious from the heat and I decided to help you."

"Why not leave me there?" he asked.

"I know what the desert can do to an Icewing. If I had left you, you probably would have slipped into a coma and died." THAT was unexpected and rather sobering. "Plus, the Icewings used to be my allies in the war. I figured I should try and repay that debt by helping you. PLUS, I didn't think you were one of the Icewings that trade with the palace because they never come this far south."

That was a lot of information to take in at once. Thorn and Qibli had started acting differently three-and-a-half years ago. Who's to say they were the only ones? Smolder could have been the same way if and when he came back. Also, the Icewings were trading with the Sandwings of all tribes. Icewings didn't usually worry about external affairs. This was starting to sound like a lot more trouble than he was expecting. Lastly, Blaze just happens upon him on the one day she leaves her cave. Was this coincidence…

Or was it fate?

Icewings didn't really practice religion, but his interactions with dragons from other tribes had proven enlightening. He could see why dragons believed in a higher power. It was a way of explaining the unexplained. Not only that, but sometimes dragons just wanted to believe that someone was with them even when they were alone. It was a comforting notion.

Winter personally didn't put much stock into it, but he respected others and their beliefs. Sometimes, though, things happened that he couldn't believe was just luck or coincidence. Meeting Flint was one of those times. This seemed like another.

Maybe he and Blaze had met for a reason. He certainly believed they had. With the way things had turned out in the last few days, he would be an idiot to ignore the possibility. He looked over to Blaze to ask a question, "Blaze?" She looked at him. "I don't always believe in a higher power, but when I do, I don't ignore what they're trying to tell me. I don't think it was mere coincidence that you found me. I think we met for a reason."

She looked at him confused, "Are you trying to say it was destiny?" She looked him up and down, "You don't look like a Nightwing." Winter raised his eyeridge. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

Winter sighed, "I honestly don't know if it was destiny or fate or something else, but if it was—or even if it wasn't—would you like to live at the Sanctuary?"

Blaze looked at him with wide eyes, "Are—Are you offering me a place to live, Winter?" He nodded. She just sat there in silence before getting up and wrapping him in a hug. "T-Thank you." When she pulled back, Winter noticed small trails of moisture dropping from her eyes.

He smiled back at her warmly. It wasn't often that other dragons were this grateful to him for anything, but it always made him feel good about himself. This is what he wanted. He wanted to help others. He wanted to feel as if he made a difference…

He wanted to matter.

After explaining his plans of continuing to the Sandwing palace, Blaze was somewhat skeptical but reluctantly agreed. She told him he was approximately four hours from the palace. He likewise told Blaze the exact location of where the Sanctuary was. She wasn't too excited about living in the Ice Kingdom again—if only on the far fringes—but she was happy to have a place to live, nonetheless. "When you get there, ask to speak with Flint. He's a Mudwing, but I would trust him with anything. Tell him that I sent you and to set up a room for you."

Blaze nodded in confirmation, "Just be careful, Winter. That place is more dangerous than Scarlet's arena." She turned and walked out of the cave with Winter right behind her. She didn't bother with any of her supplies. It didn't matter now if someone came across this place. She gave him one last long look before winging away into the night heading north.

Winter stood there for several minutes until he could no longer see her in the distance. He looked to the sky to judge the position of the moons. There were just under six hours of darkness by his estimation. He couldn't show up at the city during the dark, but the blazing sunlight would kill him if he stayed out in it too long.

The difficulty of his mission had just doubled. Instead of just worrying about making it through an audience with Queen Thorn alive, now he had to worry about environmental hazards. He would push through it, though. He would do it for her. _For Moon._

With the abundance of new knowledge at his disposal, Winter started formulating a plan while heading towards the palace. True to Blaze's directions, the Sandwing palace came into sight within four hours. That meant the city wouldn't be open for another two hours. He noticed a collection of buildings outside the city, so he made his way over to them.

Luckily one of the buildings was a tavern. It was the type of place he wouldn't be caught dead in normally, but he had no choice at the moment. He walked into the worn-out building and everyone paused to stare at him. Winter snorted dismissively and made his way to an isolated corner to bide his time. After a while the dragons began talking amongst themselves, most likely about him.

He caught snippets of their conversations. Whispers they thought he couldn't hear.

"_What's an Icewing doing here."_

_ "I thought they didn't come into the desert."_

_ "He must be insane."_

_ "Thorn won't like this."_

Winter looked at that Sandwing out of the corner of his eye. He looked to be an older soldier that kept looking towards Winter with hatred. _Interesting._ Moments later, the Sandwing got up and made for the door. This might cause a few problems.

The rest of the time he spent in the tavern was uneventful, so when he noticed the sun coming up through the windows, Winter also got up and left. As he walked down the street towards the main gate to the city, he observed that there were a lot of Sandwings staring at him with the same look the old soldier gave him. That didn't make sense, though. Blaze had the support of most of the Sandwings in the war and she had been allied with the Icewings, so why were they looking at him like this?

Winter made it into the city without being attacked despite all the looks he received. The sun had crested over the buildings at this point and the temperature was already rising. A couple more hours and he would start to overheat. Hopefully his business would be done by then.

The palace guards let him in without any hassle. Almost like they had expected him to come. He and his assigned escort wound their way through grand corridors until they came upon a large ornamented door. Two guards stood on either side and opened the door without a word.

It opened into a large stone room with grander decorations than the rest of the palace he had seen. Sitting upon an opulent stone throne on the far side of the room was Queen Thorn. She wore a fancy necklace to show her status as Queen of the Sandwings. King Smolder sat behind her and to the left. He wore a large, golden armband and watched Winter intently as he entered. Thorn inclined her head slightly at his approach, "Winter, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you, today?"

He stopped and took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ "I'm here about Moon."

Thorn nodded her head solemnly, "Yes, it's a shame what she's been through." She paused and looked up at him, "I assume that means she went to you for help when she ran away?"

Winter nodded. There was no point in denying it. How else would he know about her situation? "Why wouldn't you help her? Why did she have to travel to the Ice Kingdom to find me?"

Thorn narrowed her eyes, "I don't appreciate the accusing tone, but I'll amuse you for now. I told her if she wanted to remain with Qibli she would have to grow accustomed to his new violent tendencies. The tasks I give him aren't pleasant, but they are necessary."

Winter narrowed his eyes in turn. He was trying to be as civil as possible, but this was trying his patience, "What exactly are you making him do? It is your responsibility to look out for the both of them as Qibli's adopted mother."

Thorn stood up and snarled at him, "That is classified, Winter. And I can't always hold paws with all of my subjects. Being a Queen isn't pleasant or easy. Not everyone has the time or luxury for silly things like playing with scavengers."

Winter blinked, astonished. He had met Thorn once a long time ago when gaining support for the Sanctuary. She had been pleasant to talk to back then—not at all like she was now. She had believed in his goals when he came to her even though she had politely declined. He had the feeling he wouldn't get any farther with her, so he tried something else, "Smolder!? Why won't you do something!? Can't you see all of this is wrong!?"

Smolder looked towards Thorn who gave him a dirty look before looking back towards Winter with a sympathetic expression, "I'm sorry, Winter, but it's not my place to argue with the Queen." Winter noticed a malicious gleam in Thorn's eyes after Smolder's response.

A Sandwing guard walked up to Thorn and whispered something to her, "Now if you don't mind, I have business to attend to. Guards! Escort Winter out of the city." As Winter exited, he thought he heard Thorn say something about Icewings, but he couldn't know for certain. Following orders, the soldiers escorted Winter all the way out of the city. By this time, the sun was high in the sky.

He knew he wouldn't be able to last long in this heat and, by the looks in the guards' eyes, they knew that, too. "Best be on your way, Icewing. Wouldn't want you to pass out in the middle of the desert. You know what happens after that, right?" The guards looked at each other before laughing and walking away.

Winter walked down the street deep in thought. It was clear he wouldn't get any answers here. Maybe there was another way, though. Sunny might know what was going on with Thorn and Qibli. She would most likely help—as long as she didn't turn out to be like the rest of her family, that is. There was one problem with that plan, though…

Finding her would mean going to Jade Mountain.

He stopped as he broke out of the crowd into the desert and looked to the skies. He had sworn to himself he would never go back. Some of his worst memories were tied to that place. Winter didn't think he was strong enough to endure that kind of emotional torment. He looked at the desert expanse before him. The Sanctuary and Jade Mountain were about the same distance away from his current location.

They just happened to be in opposite directions. On one claw, he could go back to the Sanctuary and tell Moon he hadn't gotten any answers. If he did that, she might never be able to return to Qibli. That meant Winter would have a better chance of being with her—that is if she didn't find out he had basically given up. On the other claw, he could go to Jade Mountain to face his fears and perhaps get answers. Even if he didn't get any answers, she would know that he had tried everything he could. She would know he had truly changed.

After long deliberation, Winter decided against the first option. He wouldn't give up on Qibli—not yet at least. He also didn't want Moon to think he was being selfish. He would go to Jade Mountain, talk to Sunny, and hopefully earn Moon's forgiveness. Winter had made mistakes with Moon in the past. He wouldn't allow himself to make those mistakes again. If he got the answers Moon needed and she decided to go back to Qibli, so be it.

At least his conscience would be clear.

His decision made, Winter started flying east towards the mountains. On the bright side, that meant less time in the desert since he was closer to the mountains than to the Ice Kingdom. The journey and the heat had taken its toll on his body by the time he got to the mountains, so he decided on taking a rest.

When night had started to fall, Winter started flying south to where Jade Mountain was. The trip was uneventful and took a day-and-a-half to get there and when he did, it was afternoon. The students would be heading to their post-lunch classes soon. _Just great. I arrive when the hallways are going to be crowded with dragonets. So much for not drawing too much attention to myself._ He alit upon the stone ledge that was the entrance to the academy. The same one that he had left his old life from seven years ago.

"_Winter, please! Don't go! I don't want you to leave!" _ He shivered at the memory that sounded all too real. If this was how the whole experience was going to be, Winter was dreading what else he would remember. He didn't know where Sunny would be at this time, but he knew who did. Headmistress Tsunami knew everything that happened in this school. That was assuming she WAS still headmistress. It was entirely possible someone else could be the head of the academy.

At the very least, he knew where the headmistress' office was, so he decided to start there. As he started walking down the hallways, the students were starting to walk to their next classes. The cacophony of voices was overwhelming. Over the din he kept hearing voices he knew weren't there.

"_How can you be so cold!?"_

"_What did anyone ever do to you!?"_

"_You shouldn't try to push everyone away, Winter."_

"_You are not as terrifying as you think you are."_

He vividly remembered that last one. That was when he truly began to respect Moon. He noticed that his breathing had become heavier and he tried to calm himself, but everything he tried wasn't working. He noticed a group of dragons to his right…

_It was his friends. It was Kinkajou and Turtle and Peril and Moon. They looked as if they hadn't aged a day since he had left. He noticed a younger version of himself standing a bit farther away looking towards the group but making no move to join them. _I remember this. This happened the day that I left. _He saw a younger Qibli walk up to the group and embrace Moon while planting a kiss on her cheek as the others had their various reactions. Turtle looked embarrassed, Peril was smirking, and Kinkajou was 'oooing and ahhing' at their show of affections. His younger self bared his teeth at this display and stalked away. No one noticed him leaving. No one except for Moon. "Winter…"_

"_Winter…"_

"WINTER!" Winter blinked and noticed a slightly anxious group of dragonets standing and staring at him where he had been looking at before. _It was just a hallucination. _He shook himself free from the memory and saw a concerned looking Seawing standing in front of him. It took him a moment, but he eventually recognized who it was. It was Turtle.

Winter blinked once again but Turtle was still standing there. Winter was conflicted. He was happy to see his friend again, but he was also scared. Did Turtle think that he had abandoned them? Did they all think that? Would they be happy to see him? Or would they hate him?

He couldn't move or speak. Winter wanted to say something, but at the same time he wanted run and hide from his past. He didn't know what to do and he was starting to panic. "Winter? Are you okay?" Was he okay? Did he look okay? Maybe he did because his mask was up. It didn't feel like it was, though.

He felt a gentle paw on his shoulder and when he looked, he noticed Turtle had put his paw there in a reassuring gesture. Why isn't Turtle mad? What was he doing? Maybe Turtle was trying to trick him. Maybe he WAS mad. "Winter, you're starting to scare me. Please say something."

He didn't sound mad. He sounded genuinely concerned. "T-Turtle?" Winter managed to get out.

Turtle smiled, "Yeah, it's me. I've missed you, my friend."

"_I've missed you, my friend…"_

"_My friend…"_

"_Friend…"_

"_Friend…"_

_Turtle called me his friend._ _That means I'm not as alone as I thought._ He felt the well of emotions he had kept under claw for so long swell up to the surface. He had been so scared of facing his past. He had always imagined his friends being angry at him for abandoning them. He hadn't realized how much Qibli's behavior and Moon's sudden arrival had hurt him until now. Turtle wasn't angry at him or in a sad state of depression, though. He was genuinely happy to see him.

He wasn't sure why this revelation affected him so much. Maybe it was because he now knew at least one of his old friends was happy to see him. Maybe it was because he never expected ANY of them to forgive him. Maybe because it truly was what had happened between Moon and Qibli that had hurt him the most. He didn't know. One thing was for certain, though…

His heart hurt.

It hurt so much that he couldn't hold back the flood of emotions anymore. Winter felt moisture building up behind his eyes and his breathing was beginning to come in ragged bursts. He saw Turtle's face show both his confusion and his surprise and Winter's imminent emotional breakdown. Then he did the last thing either of them expected. He reached forward and brought Turtle into a hug as a few tears started spilling from his eyes. Turtle stiffened slightly before relaxing and returning the hug. "It's okay, Winter. It'll be okay."

After Winter had composed himself, he pulled out of the hug and looked away, embarrassed, "I, uh-" He cleared his throat, "I missed you, too, Turtle."

Turtle snorted in amusement and beckoned him forward as he started to walk down the halls, "I never expected to see you again, Winter. After you left, everyone was devastated—especially Qibli. He thought it was his fault you had left."

That was surprising. He didn't seem too broken up when Winter had seen him. "Have you seen him lately?" He kept his tone innocent to pretend as if he didn't know about how Qibli had become.

They turned the corner and entered into the faculty lounge to continue their talk in a more private setting. "No, I haven't. I don't think Kinkajou or Peril have seen him or Moon since they left, either. I've wanted to try and find them. I've wanted to go to the Sanctuary to see you, too, but I figured you didn't want to see any of us."

Winter looked down in shame. Turtle didn't realize how true his statement was. Now that he was here facing his past, he made a new promise to himself. He would find his friends and amend his mistakes. "What's happened to Peril and Kinkajou? Are they here?"

Turtle shook his head, "No. Kinkajou returned to the rainforest for now. She's one of Queen Glory's closest friends, now, so she travels between here and there pretty often." Upon noticing Winter's confused face, he decided to elaborate, "Kinkajou and I have been dating for the past few years, so she tries to balance her personal and professional lives. I'm a professor here, so I don't leave very often other than on summer and winter breaks.

"As for Peril, she and Clay got into a serious relationship not long after you left. Clay still teaches here, and she usually doesn't stray far from him. The two of them took a vacation to the Mud Kingdom to see Clay's siblings. They left yesterday. Sorry."

Winter nodded in understanding. It would've been too easy if they had been here. Maybe he would come back to see them later, but right now he couldn't afford anymore delays. Talking with Turtle had been nice, but he had business to attend to. "Do you know where Sunny is, Turtle?"

"Why are you looking for Sunny?" asked a new voice. Winter looked up and saw Tsunami enter the room. "Nice to see you again, Winter," she smiled and bowed slightly.

He nodded, "Likewise. Unfortunately, I didn't come to catch up on lost time. Moon showed up at my doorstep about a week ago. She had extensive bruising and claimed that Qibli had gotten violent with her." Turtle and Tsunami both gasped in horror. Turtle had covered his mouth with his claws and his eyes were wide. Winter relayed the whole story to the both of them. Afterwards, they both gave him their full cooperation.

Tsunami gave him her well wishes and left shortly after to take care of other business at the school. Turtle had agreed to take Winter to where Sunny was. Apparently, she went to talk with her father, Stonemover, for an hour or two each day. Today was no different.

Turtle lead Winter through the halls of the academy until they reached the deeper parts of the mountain where the tunnels were rougher and darker. They stopped outside of a stone arch. Beyond was a well-lit room with two dragons present. The forms of both Sunny and Stonemover were unmistakable. After all, how often does one come across a Sandwing-Nightwing hybrid and a Nightwing who scales were turning to stone?

He still couldn't believe he was related to these dragons—even if distantly. Though if Winter was honest with himself, any dragon would be lucky to be related to Sunny. Her bright personality and loyalty to those she cared about was something he wished he had grown up around. As for Stonemover, his pessimistic nature was a little off-putting, but Winter knew his heart was in the right place. He sealed himself away to save both himself and others from the powers he had and feared.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself before walking into the room. Stonemover was the first to notice his entrance since Sunny's back was towards the door. Seeing her father's attention diverted from their conversation, Sunny looked back at the door and saw Winter enter as well. "Winter?" He stopped about thirty feet away and nodded. "Winter!"

She bounded over and smiled up at him. She hadn't grown much in his absence and was still quite small. He smiled at her, "Hey, Sunny." Seeing her again had brought up the memory of the last conversation they had. It had been the day before he left Jade Mountain.

_Winter was sitting alone in his room brooding. The past two weeks had been torturing for him. It seemed that all of his so-called friends were mooning all over Qibli and Moon's new relationship. He had tried adapting, but when your friends ignore you while you're there and then never notice when you leave, it was hard to. He had started to become more distant as the days went by._

_He no longer sat with them at meals and had started actively avoiding them. He knew what he wanted to do. He just wasn't sure he could take that step. Leaving his last remaining friends behind would be hard—even if they were starting to become ignorant of his existence. He had thought they were all his friends. Apparently, he was wrong._

_He kept thinking about leaving. Where would he go? What would he do? Who would help him? The longer he thought, however, the more depressed he became. His deliberations were interrupted when he heard someone enter his cave. He turned and prepared to give them a verbal lashing when he noticed it was Sunny._

_Everything he was about to say died upon his tongue. He couldn't yell at Sunny. No one yelled at Sunny. He looked away; he would let her make the first move. _

_She stopped beside him and looked to him. "Winter? Your friends are worried about you. They asked me to check up on you."_

_He snorted derisively, "Why would they care?"_

_She blinked in shock, "Because they're your friends, Winter."_

_He actually laughed when she said that, "Some friends they are. They don't even notice when I'm not there. They couldn't care less about me."_

_Sunny shook her head and put her paw on his shoulder in a comforting manner, "You're wrong, Winter. They're worried about you. Your behavior is starting to scare them. They said they're afraid to approach you because they think you might do something drastic." She paused for a moment and studied his face, "You are, aren't you?"_

_He nodded, "I'm thinking about leaving, Sunny. I don't belong here anymore. No one will miss me."_

"_I will. Aren't we family?" Sunny placed her wing around him. The warmth was somewhat comforting if a little strange to his cold body._

_Winter scoffed, "Our familial ties are so distant, they're basically non-existent."_

_She smacked him lightly upon his shoulder, "It doesn't matter! Family is family, Winter. Whether you like it or not, we're family, and family look out for each other. Friends do, too. Don't give up on them. You mean more to them then you think." _

_He looked away. They didn't really care about him, did they? Maybe they did. Maybe he should give them another chance. Almost like she was reading his thoughts, Sunny said, "You should give them a chance, Winter."_

_He took a deep breath before answering, "What if I can't?"_

_She smiled sadly at him, "Then I won't stop you from doing what you think is right. I know what it's like to be the outcast in a group of friends. I just hope you find what you're looking for somewhere else." She rubbed his shoulder one last time before walking away._

_Winter watched her leave. She was right. Either way, tomorrow would give him his answer._

He had already seen what had come of his decision to stay earlier. He had tried to interact a few times, but they still kept fawning over Moon and Qibli or found some other topic that didn't have anything to do with him. He had left that night and swore he would never look back. He had kept that promise for seven years before returning here.

Now Sunny was here, standing before him, awaiting his response like nothing had ever happened. "I think I found what I was looking for."

She smiled even wider before wrapping him in a hug, "I knew you would. Nothing ever got in your way, Winter." He didn't hesitate to return the hug. It felt nice to have people care about him.

He had always known that Flint and the others at the Sanctuary would be with him when he needed them. Learning that some of his old friends—with the exception of Qibli—still cared about him took his breath away. He had never expected any of them to forgive him, yet Moon, Turtle, and now Sunny were showing him that he wasn't as alone as he believed he was.

That turned out to be a comforting notion.

**AN: So what did you think? Was it pretty good? I hope it was. I also hope it answered a few questions as well as left you with more. The mark of a great writer is to keep his/her audience engaged, and I hope that I'm doing that.**

**If you want to leave a review, I have a few questions you can focus on:**

**1.) What did you think of Blaze's character? Keeping in mind that for four years Thorn had been training her to be a better Queen followed by being thrown into an 'adapt or die' type of situation for three years, would she have changed that much? Do you think I should make her less serious? I would love to hear your opinion.**

**2.) This is a much less serious question, but I'm curious of your opinions: We all know Moon can read thoughts, but would seeing other's memories be stretching that concept too far? Yea or Nay, it won't change too much of what I have planned. I can easily work around it whether you think she can or not. Like I said I was just curious.**

**3.) Be honest: Should I stop with the memes?**

**4.) Upon rereading this for editing, I noticed the obscene amount of hugging I put in this chapter. Should I tone it down?**

**In all seriousness, I'm glad everyone is liking the story so far. It feels so good when people like something you have created and your kind words mean a lot to me.**

**Until next time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	4. Chapter 3

Dragons Change

**AN: So I know I said I would have this out yesterday, but this chapter turned out to be a LOT harder to write than anticipated. It was also longer than I thought it would be and is the longest chapter so far. (8.5k words, if you're interested) Not only that but I had less time to work on it than I thought and I didn't want to rush through it. I wanted to make sure it was up to your expectations for such an important chapter. **

**In the future, I will post an update at the beginning of the prologue if I don't make my deadline and delete it when I post the chapter. That way everyone will know and I don't get a pm or review asking when the next chapter will be. Communication is key after all.**

**Also, per request, I deleted the author's notes that broke up the previous chapters to make them flow better. This includes the in-chapter warnings. The warnings will still be at the top, but they will no longer be within the chapter itself. If you want me to put them back in, just say so. Your requests and ideas don't fall on deaf ears. I will make changes or adjustments if you want me to or let you know if I can't.**

**Ottomatican, wrongful, Saiba-of-the-Icewings, and Theresalwaysthatone: thank you for the reviews from last chapter. I'm glad you like Blaze's character, I've taken your thoughts about Moon reading memories into account (aka: I won't have her do it) For those of you wondering: Ch. 1 had the 'One does not simply...' meme and Ch. 2 had the 'I don't always...but when I do...' (Dos Equis) meme. Not as many hugs this time, but I have a feeling you'll forgive me once you read the chapter.**

**No memes this time, but I did put in a Patriot movie reference. See if you can spot it.**

**This is it: the chapter you've all been waiting for. Old questions will be answered and new questions will be posed and none of you could expect what is about to happen. Truth be told: I'm kind of terrified of possible reaction. I haven't seen this idea in another fanfic, and I think I'm the first to explore it but I'm not 100% sure. Since it IS most likely a new idea, I'm very nervous to what you might think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. Also, just in case, I do not own The Patriot.**

Chapter 3:

After pulling out of the hug, Winter looked at Sunny who had a huge smile on her face, so he returned it. When she asked, "What brings you back, Winter?" his smile faltered. Apparently, she noticed because hers did, too. "Is something wrong?"

Winter didn't know how to tactfully word his question. He figured that she would have one of two reactions: Either she would take offense, or she would be saddened to hear the truth. Winter was never the most diplomatic dragon, so he decided to just be blunt, "Sunny, do you know what's happening in the Sand Kingdom?"

A sad expression crept across her face and she looked back to Stonemover. When Winter looked over to him, too, he was surprised to find the normally apathetic Nightwing staring at him intently. He was so surprised by Stonemover's expression that it took several seconds for Winter to hear quiet sobbing coming from next to him. He looked back towards Sunny and—lo and behold—she was looking away from him and crying softly. He knew she might become sad, but he had no idea she would take it this hard.

Winter tried to bring her into a comforting hug, but she moved away from him and over to her father. Stonemover raised his left wing which was mostly free from stone and let her rest her head on his shoulder before draping his wing back over her. Winter was so stunned from Sunny's sudden rejection that his mind completely blanked.

He was even more stunned when he heard a low growling noise. He looked to Stonemover again and he was looking at Winter with anger. He had never seen Stonemover angry before. He hadn't seen ANY emotion coming from him before. There was something else in his gaze, though. It took Winter a moment before he figured out what it was.

It was hatred.

"You have some nerve coming here, _Icewing._" Stonemover knew Winter, so for him to say his tribe instead of his name in such a derogatory way was disturbing, to say the least. "If I could still move, I would kill you right now."

Okay, he did NOT expect that. Winter's eyes were opened wide in surprise and he sat down and didn't move. When he came down here, this was the one reaction Winter didn't expect. "W-what are talking about? Why would you want to kill me? What did I do?"

Stonemover's expression faltered before becoming angry again, "Don't act so innocent, I know what you are! I won't let you hurt my daughter!"

Apparently, Turtle had heard the yelling and had come running in to see what was happening. Upon seeing Sunny curled up and crying under Stonemover's wing who was still glaring and growling at Winter, he asked in an accusatory voice, "What's going on? What did you do, Winter!?"

Winter shook his head and replied angrily, "ME!? I didn't do anything! I asked a simple question and then this happened!"

Turtle looked back and forth between the three of them for several seconds before speaking, "Is that true, Stonemover?"

Said Nightwing simply snorted, "Don't believe him, Turtle. He's one of _them!_"

"One of who?" Turtle and Winter asked at the same time. They looked at each other before looking to Stonemover again for explanation.

"_Them_. They've infested the Sand Kingdom and _he_ comes here for the first time in seven years and starts asking about it." He looked down to Sunny, "They already tried to get my daughter once." He looked back to the two dragons before him, "I won't let them take her."

At this point, Sunny started moving again. She peaked her head out to say, "Mother told me I wasn't safe in the Sand Kingdom anymore, so I came here and haven't left in four years."

Four years. If Blaze was telling the truth, that was before Thorn and Qibli started acting weird. That means they—whoever they were—tried going after Sunny first. What if they were forcing dragons to act like this? Maybe they were using some sort of animus magic to change dragon's personalities.

It seemed as though Turtle was lost. He didn't know what was happening. It was likely that not many dragons actually DID know. Winter asked, "Who is them? Do _they_ have anything to do with the hateful glares I got when I went to the Sandwing palace?"

At this point, Stonemover truly did falter. Sunny had come back into the open, "You really don't know, do you?" Winter shook his head. She looked at her father and then back to Winter. "I don't know who they really are, but they kidnap dragons and when the dragons come back, they act differently."

Winter looked down I thought before saying, "They must have gotten to your mother and foster brother, then." Sunny's eyes widened before she looked down saddened. "That's why I came, Sunny. I'm looking for answers."

"Tell me everything," she said quietly. Stonemover and Turtle turned their attentions to Winter in order to hear his story.

They wanted his story, so he gave it to them. He told them about everything: Moon showing up at his doorstep, Qibli's strange behavior, his trip to the Sandwing palace, his conversation with Thorn, and finally, his decision to come here.

"So, it's true, then. Thorn has been changed. And Qibli, too." Stonemover let out one of his famous sighs. "What can we do, now?"

Turtle took this opportunity to speak his piece, "It's likely animus magic causing this. There're not many animus dragons on Pyrrhia, so it should be really easy to find out who's doing this. That is, unless they've hidden themselves from everybody and no one knows of their existence."

Winter rolled his eyes at that, "Yeah, really easy." He looked between Stonemover and Turtle. "Both of you are animus dragons, can't either of you do something?"

Stonemover sighed again before giving Winter an 'are you serious?' look. Turtle likewise looked slightly uncomfortable. "No! Neither of you are using any animus magic!" Sunny exclaimed. She looked to Turtle, "You have too much ahead of you to risk your soul," and then looked to her father, "And if it's true and mother is gone, I don't want to risk losing my father, too! You're the only family I have left."

Winter put his claw on her shoulder, "That's not true, Sunny. We're family, too. Remember?"

She smiled up at him, "You remembered?"

He smiled back, "I never forgot."

They shared one last hug before Winter started to bid his goodbyes. He had come here for answers and while catching up with Turtle, Sunny, and Stonemover had been nice, Winter had to get back to Moon. She had to know what was really going on. For _them_ to not be noticed by her, they had to have really powerful magic protecting their thoughts and the thoughts of their victims.

Both Sunny and Turtle had offered to go with him, but Stonemover had forbid Sunny from going. He said that she was safest here with him and her friends—Tsunami, Clay, Peril, and the others—protecting her. Nothing was keeping Turtle there, though, besides his job as a professor. Turtle was sure Tsunami would let Turtle leave for something important such as this.

With another prospective new member to add to the Sanctuary—for now, at least—Winter was lead out of the cave by Turtle when Sunny grabbed their attention again, "Be careful, you two. If _they_ are strong enough to capture my mother, you shouldn't underestimate them. Act smart, stay alive, stick together but don't be an idiot."

Winter stopped. That was what Qibli used to say. He looked back to her before nodding slightly and walking out of the cave. He would never admit how much hearing that hurt. If his friend was truly buried somewhere within the mind of that killer, he wanted to find him. But what if he couldn't?

Turtle slowed down to walk next to him, "I know what you're thinking. We'll get them back. I know we'll succeed."

"How!?" That came out way more aggressive yet desperate then he wanted.

It didn't faze Turtle, though. He merely looked forward before giving his answer, "Because I believe." Winter looked down. Was it really that easy to believe? If it was, why was it so hard for him?

Winter noticed Turtle looking at him with concern out of the corner of his eye, but neither of them said anything. They started walking into the main tunnels which by now were empty of students again. After a quick stop at Tsunami's office to tell her the plans—which she agreed to—they made their way to Turtle's personal cave. When he was finished packing, they made their way to the school entrance.

Upon hearing of their departure, it seemed Tsunami gathered several of the professors at the main entrance to see them off. Most of them were there for Turtle, however, so Winter merely sat next to the ledge overlooking the valley to wait for his friend. As the minutes passed by, though, Winter's patience was starting to wear thin.

Moments like this reminded him why he left this place to begin with. It always seemed as if he was invisible to everyone else. It seemed as though the more people were around him, the lonelier he became. As more minutes dragged on and Turtle was still wrapped up in his conversations, it became very difficult for Winter to keep his cool. There were eight other dragons here besides him and Turtle and none of them were paying him any attention.

None of them cared about him.

With that last thought, he no longer cared about being polite. Winter spread his wings and took off heading north. He looked back not once, and twenty minutes passed before he heard another set of wingbeats coming up behind him. Turtle came up beside him not long after that, but Winter kept his gaze ahead of him. "Winter, I'm—"

"Don't," he interrupted. "Just—Just don't," They flew in silence for the remainder of the trip.

Winter wasn't angry at Turtle, per say. He was mostly angry at himself. He was angry at how weak he was being—letting his emotions affect him so easily. He shouldn't let such mediocre problems affect him, yet they were. Why did he care if a few dragons he had never met didn't pay any attention to him? He wasn't upset about that, though, was he?

He actually didn't truly know why he was so upset. The experiences he had had to face within Jade Mountain must have affected him more than he thought. It was hard for Winter to move on from his past. No matter how hard he fought to move on, something else tried to drag him back. He couldn't handle that anymore. He didn't want to always be afraid of his past. He…

He…

He needed to talk with Flint again. It was strange for him to feel like this nowadays, though most days he didn't go to the one place he swore he would never go to again. The memories that place evoked was too much for him to handle—just like he knew they would be.

Moon had asked for his help, though. He had sworn he would help her if she needed him. His oath to her meant more to him than his selfish fears. He just hoped he could help her without undoing all of the progress he and Flint had made throughout the years together. One could only hope.

It took him most of the day of silent brooding before he apologized to Turtle. They spent the next day-and-a-half either flying silently or engaging in small talk. Winter knew the damage had been done, though. He noticed that Turtle was wary of initiating conversation now.

Winter stopped himself before he let out a sigh. He didn't want to sound like Stonemover, after all. He might have to talk with him, too, later. Once he got back to the Sanctuary, he was going to have a lot of emotionally draining conversations to look forward to. This was going to be a _fun day_.

When the Sanctuary came into view, Winter noticed a Skywing sitting outside of the front door. His best guess was that it was Titan, but what was he doing out here in the cold? Was he waiting for him? He noticed Titan go back into the building for a few minutes before a congregation of other dragons came walking out.

He and Turtle had landed by the time the others had gathered outside. Turtle was standing behind him. The large gathering of unknown dragons was probably making him wary. Blaze had made it to the Sanctuary it seemed because she was there along with Raven, Amber, Moon, Flare, Swordfish, Mojave, and—of course—Titan. He looked at each of them in turn in a questioning manner, but none of them save Blaze and Moon would look him in the eye. He didn't know why Flint was out here if everyone else was.

That's when he noticed the damage present on the front door as well as something else: blood. There wasn't much, but it was there. The scent was unmistakable. The pieces started falling into place. The blood and damage, the other's lack of eye contact, Flint's absence—they all lead to one conclusion. Was Flint…?

"Winter?" he looked to where his name had come from and saw Moon step towards him. He started looking back at the others but received no other responses. "Winter, look at me," He looked back towards her and saw her concerned face. "Qibli came back to find me, but Flint wouldn't let him enter the Sanctuary. He was stabbed by Qibli's tail barb, but he's alright for now."

At this point, panic was clearly written on Winter's face. His breaths were coming out ragged and his heart rate was speeding up. _For now._ _What did she mean 'for now.' _"F-For now?" He dreaded the answer, but he needed to know. She motioned for him to follow and he did.

She lead him through the residential hallway toward Flint's room. Every clawstep felt like an eternity. Every breath seemed to come in longer intervals. His mind, however, was running overdrive, but everything he thought about lead to a single question.

What was waiting for him inside?

The others—except for Blaze—had gone their separate ways once they came back inside. She most likely wanted to see what was what. Moon stopped outside Flint's room and looked toward Winter and then to Blaze, "Maybe you should go talk with Mojave or something, Blaze." Winter heard clawsteps trailing away from where he was before he felt a paw rubbing his shoulder in a comforting way. Winter took a deep, shaky breath before pushing the door open.

Flint was laying on his side facing the door. His eyes were screwed shut in pain and his breaths came in ragged gasps. There was a large black area radiating out from a point near the center of his chest. "Mojave said that the poison was spreading faster than it should. The cactus juice isn't doing anything to help."

Winter moved forward and placed his claw on his friend's forehead and felt the head radiating from his scales. Moon moved up beside him and sat down. "If we don't find something to help him in the next few hours, the poison will enter his heart and he won't make it, Winter."

He nodded somberly. He didn't trust his voice right now. He doubted he could make a sound past the huge lump in his throat. The moisture building up in his eyes spoke volumes, though, because Winter didn't know how to help his friend.

Friend. He never realized until now that that word didn't fit. Flint wasn't just his friend. Flint was his brother—if not by blood—and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. He had made Flint promise to protect Moon and now he will die because of it.

And it was all his fault.

The tears started flowing freely as sobs wracked his body. Moon reached forward and pulled Winter into a hug that he gratefully accepted. He was thankful for her support. He didn't think he could watch his brother die alone. He didn't think he could watch his brother die, period.

The longer he stayed in their embrace, the more his mind started to wander. There was a small part of his mind that blamed Moon. If she had never come here, none of this would have happened. However hard it was, though, Winter knew he couldn't blame Moon. She had come to him for help and instead of staying here with her, he had left. There was no one else to blame but himself.

No. As a sudden realization dawned upon him, Winter felt his blood start to heat up due to his rising anger.

He blamed Qibli. He had once considered Qibli one of his closest friends. He had wanted to save him before. Now, though, he had mortally wounded the one dragon whose life meant more to Winter than his own and the next time he saw that Sandwing again he would sink his teeth into his neck and not stop until every ounce of life had left him. Winter would relish in the taste of his blood and the feeling of his last shuddering breaths as he whimpered for mercy beneath him.

His anger started to subside after that last thought entered his mind. _No. This isn't me. I don't know what I will do when I see Qibli again, but that doesn't matter right now._ He broke the embrace and sat before his brother, grasping one of Flint's paws with both of his. He heard the door open and shut somewhere behind him signaling Moon's departure. Winter appreciated the gesture, but he didn't want to be alone right now.

Flint had taught him to confide his problems to others. Most of the time Winter confided in him. This time, however, Flint was unavailable. Out of everyone here at the Sanctuary, there was only one other dragon that he would trust with his life. He didn't want to leave Flint alone, though, so Winter unclasped his armband and set it aside. Then, he started projecting a single thought, _Moon, please come back._

He didn't have to wait long. Moon re-entered the room a few minutes later. Winter turned to look at her and noticed her expression was a mix of concern and bewilderment. "You took your armband off?"

He nodded dolefully, "I don't want to be alone right now." He turned his gaze back to Flint and saw Moon sit on his left.

She was silent for several minutes before speaking, "When you were introducing everyone and I noticed you were wearing your armband, I thought…" She paused and took a breath. "I thought you didn't trust me anymore."

Winter looked over to her, pain clearly written on his face, "I'm sorry."

"W-what? W-why?" If her stuttering was any indication, she didn't expect that.

"For everything," He looked down in shame, "I'm sorry for leaving you here. I'm sorry for being a jerk before…" He raised his head and looked her in the eyes, "But most of all I'm sorry for pushing you away. I would trust you with my life just like I would trust Flint." He heard her take a small gasp at his words. "If I could redo everything, I would." He looked back to Flint's prone form, "Qibli was right. I—I don't—" The words stuck in his throat. He knew she could probably hear what he was trying to say in his mind, but he had to say it out loud—if not for her, then for himself.

Tears once again flooded his eyes as he managed to speak past the lump in his throat, "I don't deserve you." He said it in a mere whisper, but in the silence that followed, he might as well have shouted it. He kept his gaze averted. He couldn't face her right now. He felt a warmth spread across his back. When he looked, he noticed a starry, black wing draped around him.

Moon had draped her wing around him and was smiling at him sadly. "We've all made mistakes, Winter. None of us are perfect. I know I hurt you and I never expected you to forgive me, but you did. You helped me when no one else would and didn't ask for anything in return." She shook her head, "So I think you're wrong. It's ME that doesn't deserve YOU."

He smiled. It was small but genuine. He wrapped her in another hug. He thought that he may be overstepping his bounds, but his fears were allayed when he felt her return the hug in earnest. When they separated, they started watching over Flint once again, "Can I ask you something, Winter?" She received a nod in answer, "How did you two meet?"

He smiled as the memory washed over him. Meeting Flint was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. When he was down, Winter would sometimes replay the memory in his head. It meant so much to him that he had never forgotten a single detail, so he relayed the story to her.

_When Winter told Moon he was going to the rainforest, it was more to ease her mind than anything else. He didn't actually plan on going there. Two months had passed since he left Jade Mountain, though, and he still had nowhere else to go. That meant the rainforest was the only place left he could try._

_It wasn't that he disliked the rainforest. He had been there before, and it actually wasn't that bad. The abundance of trees, fruits, and relatively nice dragons was a nice change of pace from the frigid snowscape of the Ice Kingdom or the hustle and bustle of Jade Mountain. The heat from the sun wasn't ideal, but he could manage. It wasn't anywhere close to the heat in the desert; which is why he planned to NEVER go there again._

_The real reason he was wary of going was because of the Rainwing Queen. Queen Glory was a good queen and Winter had nothing against her personally, but she used to be a Dragonet of Destiny. As such, she had very close ties to Jade Mountain. Winter was afraid that if he arrived in the rainforest seeking asylum, she would send him back._

_As it turned out, his fears were well-founded. When he arrived before her, it didn't take her long to remember him. She was adamant in her belief that he should return to the academy post-haste. The two of them had a heated argument before Deathbringer decided to intervene by pointing out that Winter's situation was not so different from what his own used to be. Winter had no tribe, no family, and no home to return to. This was the only place he might find refuge. _

_Glory was still skeptical to say the least but ultimately decided to let Winter stay on one condition: If anyone from Jade Mountain came here looking for him, she would not lie to them in order to protect him. Until such time, however, Winter was welcome to stay in the rainforest for as long as he wanted._

_It had been six months since then and no one from the Academy had come looking for him. Perhaps they thought he wasn't important enough to look for. Maybe they didn't even notice his absence. Then again, maybe Moon or Sunny—or both—had convinced them to leave him be. Whatever the case, this time he was happy to be left alone. _

_This life of peace, plenty, and supportiveness was what he needed. He had no responsibilities unless he wanted them and was free to do what he wanted. The Nightwings sometimes gave him grief, but after the first few encounters, he was smart enough to stay away from their village. _

_Deathbringer had been very supportive of Winter during his stay. It was no secret as to why. Like he had said before; Winter's situation reminded him of his own, so he would try to help in any way he could. His efforts were appreciated, and, though it had taken awhile, Winter came to think of Deathbringer as a friend. _

_That happened to be another reason why he didn't belong in the Ice Kingdom. If his mother found out that he had been making friends with a Nightwing of all dragons, she would most likely disown and exile him…again. Why was his life so complicated? Winter had been born and raised as an Icewing. He looked like an Icewing. He had the powers of an Icewing. Why didn't he feel like an Icewing? He felt more like a…well, he didn't know what he felt like. _

_It had taken several months and more than a few concerned Rainwings before he finally accepted his new lot in life. He was no longer Prince Winter of the Icewings; he was just Winter. Opening up about his past was something else. Whenever somebody wanted to talk to him about it, he would try to redirect the conversation. If they continued to push, he would lash out verbally and stalk away. Anger was his saving grace._

_During his time in the rainforest, many dragons from every tribe had come and gone. Most of them stayed for a couple of weeks at least to a month or two at most. There had been dragons he had gotten along with and those he didn't—which was almost always another Icewing—as well as those who kept mostly to themselves._

_The only dragon who had been there longer than Winter was a Mudwing. He looked to be about eight or nine years old, but he was BIG. Though this Mudwing was the same age or slightly older, he looked to be bigger than Professor Clay was—and that was saying something. That quite obviously meant he was a bigwings, but Winter had never seen him interact with another Mudwing. That usually meant only one thing…_

_All of his siblings were dead._

_When he came to that conclusion, Winter tried to gain information from the other dragons in the rainforest. None of them were able to give him any useful information, though. Still, Winter decided to help the Mudwing just like Deathbringer was helping him._

_The day that Winter decided to approach him, the Mudwing was moping in his usual spot on the muddy bank of a nearby river. Before approaching, Winter decided to observe him for awhile before going up to talk with him. Like he had noticed before, the Mudwing was big for his age. He had chestnut colored scales with a light gray undertone. He also wore an onyx studded bronze wristband on his right forearm._

_It was obvious from his exposed ribs that he hadn't been eating well—if at all—for a while. Even still, Winter could see rippling muscles still present on his frame. That combined with large scars on his neck, front left leg, and right side indicated that he was a fighter. It was clear he would have made an imposing figure if he was well-fed. As it stood now, though, Winter felt pity for him._

_The first time he had tried talking with him, Winter was met with a surly, "Go away," from the massive Mudwing. It had been so similar to what Winter had done the first time a Rainwing had approached him that he probably would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. It took one try every day for two-and-a-half weeks before Winter got a more animated response._

_Winter had walked over to him with a basket of fruit and sat down right beside him. He started to eat while the Mudwing lay there trying to ignore Winter. Fruit wasn't Winter's favorite thing to eat, but he had at least grown accustomed to eating it since the majority of food in the rainforest WAS fruit. "Hey," was his attempt at initiating conversation. He received no answer in response. "I thought I'd keep you some company while I ate some fruit. I hope you don't mind."_

_When Winter had finished three pieces of fruit, he 'accidentally' dropped a mango and it had hit the Mudwing's snout before landing right in front of his mouth. Several moments had passed before Winter reached down to pick it up and when he went to grab it, the Mudwing had reached his mouth forward and ate the mango in a single bite._

_Only then did he look up and acknowledge Winter's presence. "Every time you tried to talk to me, I would ignore you. Why did you keep trying?" He sat up and reached for the fruit basket before pausing. Winter passed it to him without a word and he began to eat the rest of the fruit in the basket._

_There were so many explanations he could give to the Mudwing, but he simply told him the truth. "When I came here over six months ago, I tried to push others away, too. My past haunted—haunts—me and I didn't want to move on. I still can't—at least not completely. I thought pushing people away and burying my sadness with anger would work, but it didn't. Deathbringer has helped me realize this. I'm not fully healed. I don't think I ever will be, but I'm better. Seeing you like this reminded me of myself. I just wanted to help."_

_He studied Winter for a moment before replying in a slightly accusing tone, "And why would an Icewing care about helping me? I thought your kind thought themselves better than everyone else." He had said the last part as a statement rather than a question._

_Winter looked across the river at a group of Icewings who were glaring at the other dragons around them with cold arrogance and disdain. The Mudwing followed his gaze and saw the same scene. "I don't think I am an Icewing anymore. I left everything behind when I decided to leave. I have no tribe, no family, and no home anymore."_

_The Mudwing looked back towards him and asked with a much gentler voice, "What about friends?" _

_Winter took a breath before answering, "I had some before I left. Now, though…" He heard voices to his right and saw Deathbringer showing a Sandwing he had never seen before around the village. The Mudwing once again followed Winter's gaze, "I think Deathbringer is the only one I could consider a friend. There are a few Rainwings that talk with me every once and a while, but I wouldn't consider them true friends." Winter saw him look back to the fruit basket and notice that it was empty, "Do you want some more?"_

_He nodded and Winter began to turn around before the Mudwing caught his attention once again, "I never caught your name."_

_Winter turned and answered him, "It's Winter."_

_The Mudwing nodded, "Thanks, Winter, for talking to me. My name is Flint."_

_Winter nodded back to him, "You're welcome, Flint," before turning and going to gather more fruit for Flint._

_Winter and Flint had remained in the rainforest for another five months. In that time, they had become close friends and Flint had started taking care of himself better. Flint had been the first to open up after three months and tell Winter about his past. As Winter had guessed before, Flint was the bigwings of his sib group. He had been the only male in a clutch of five eggs, so he pushed himself to become stronger and stronger to protect his sisters. It had all be for naught, however._

_Flint and his troop had survived several battles and skirmishes. He had gotten cocky. On a routine evening patrol, he and his troop had been on their way back when the sun had started to go down. Instead of taking the longer, safe way, Flint had led his troop through a shortcut above the forest and right into an Icewing ambush. _

_They had taken them by surprise and killed two of his sisters before Flint even knew what was happening. He and another one of his sisters had been so surprised by the attack that by the time they had realized what was happening his third sister had been killed. Flint had ordered his last sister to flee as fast as she could while he held the six Icewings back. Flint had managed to kill two of them before he heard a scream. When he looked, a seventh Icewing had shot out of the forest and killed his last sister._

_He felt shots of pain lancing through different parts of his body, but he didn't care. All of his sisters were dead. He had gotten them killed with his hasty call. Flint had lost the will to fight at this point, so he had let himself be captured. The Icewings knew he was the bigwings and how torturous it was for him to be alive while his sibs were dead. They took him alive because they wanted him to suffer._

_He had been their prisoner for seven months before the war ended. When he was released, he tried to return to the Mud Kingdom, but the constant reminders of his failures kept coming back to haunt him. _

_When Flint had finished telling Winter his story, he had broken down into tears. Winter had never been the kind of dragon who was good with comforting others. He had always been awkward in situations like this. Flint was also a male, so Winter figured it would be weird to hug him. For some reason, though, Winter didn't care about any of that. He didn't hesitate to bring Flint into a hug. Was this what true friendship felt like? If so, Winter felt like he had wanted this without knowing he did._

_Flint's story had been so similar to his own and they had become friends so quickly that Winter believed they were meant to meet. When Flint had calmed down, Winter began to relate his own story. It had been the first time he had told anyone. Flint had likewise comforted Winter after his story was finished._

_Each of them had placed their utmost faith and trust in the other and neither of them planned on betraying that trust. After their stories were told and their emotions played out, they sat by the river in companionable silence. When several minutes had passed by, Flint initiated a conversation, "Winter?"_

"_Yeah, Flint?" he asked as he looked over to his friend._

"_I've never told anyone about any of this before." Flint looked over to Winter. "I take it you never told anyone either?" Winter shook his head. "Mudwings take this kind of trust seriously, Winter. Like it or not, you're stuck with me now." He smirked before letting it drop and looking away, "I failed my sisters, Winter. I wasn't able to help them." He looked back to Winter, "I want to be able to help you."_

_Winter looked at him in slight shock, "You want to help ME, an ICEWING? Why?"_

_Flint spoke with as much seriousness as humor, "You may look like an Icewing, but you don't act like one."_

_Winter had been thinking the same thing for a while, but he could never find an answer to that question. It might be interesting to garner another's opinion on the matter. "What do I act like, then?"_

_Flint looked down in thought for a few minutes before replying, "A Nightwing."_

_Winter was skeptical to say the least, but he wasn't as offended as he thought he would be. Not all Nightwings were bad. Deathbringer and Moon certainly weren't. He would take it as a sort of compliment. "May I ask why a Nightwing?"_

_Flint smiled, "That's easy. You're loyal to those you care about, but unlike a Mudwing, you like to keep secrets."_

"_If Mudwings don't keep secrets, why do you have them?" Winter asked._

"_Mudwings do keep secrets from others except for our sibs. That's what I meant earlier. We don't tell such things to just anyone, Winter." _

_Winter's eyes widened in surprise when he realized what Flint meant, "You mean you…"_

_Flint nodded, "You're not just a friend of mine, Winter. I consider you one of my sibs now."_

_Winter was speechless. From what he understood, this kind of thing was almost unheard of. Only professor Clay had done anything close to this, and he didn't have much of a choice since he was raised as a Dragonet of Destiny. This was a great honor, and it was one he wouldn't take for granted. _

_Flint wrapped his massive foreleg around Winter's shoulder and brought him in closer. Winter didn't resist and even draped his wing across Flint's back. "What do we do now, Winter?" Flint rubbed his shoulders with his paws._

_Winter smiled slightly, "I think maybe we should stick together, Flint. Watch each other's backs."_

_Flint smiled widely, "Sounds good to me."_

And they did. Winter and Flint had stuck together since then. They had been through thick and thin together. They had founded the Sanctuary together. They recruited the others together. He and Flint had stuck together through it all. The two of them had found new friends and they had reconciled with old friends. Flint had reconnected with Amber and Winter had reconnected with Moon, Sunny, and…

Winter's eyes opened wide in realization, "TURTLE!" He took off out of the door leaving a bewildered Moon behind him. He ran down the residential hallways, turned down the hallway that connected to the research wing, and found Turtle watching the scavengers with Blaze while Swordfish and Mojave were inside the main pens interacting with them. The pen and observation area were separated into two different rooms with a window to view them through.

"Turtle!" Winter all but ran into him as he rushed into the room. Blaze and Turtle whirled around at his sudden entrance while the scavengers scattered at the sudden commotion.

"Winter wha—"

"I need your help! You have to save Flint!" Winter was all but begging and Turtle seemed to understand that. He nodded and followed Winter as he began running back down the hallways. When they made it back to Flint's room Winter stopped and let Turtle in. The personal rooms in the Sanctuary weren't big enough for four dragons. They were barely big enough for three.

He heard Moon give a small gasp as she left the room at Turtle's and Winter's sudden arrival, "Turtle, when did you get here?"

It looked like Turtle was about to stop and talk, but Winter interrupted them, "Save Flint now, talk later, please." They nodded.

Turtle walked into the room as Moon stood aside. Winter went in behind him, "You understand what you're asking me to do, right?"

"I'm asking you to save Flint, Turtle," he said with no small amount of passive aggressiveness. At Turtle's serious expression, Winter sighed, "Yes, I understand. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

Turtle stopped and looked at him, "There's always something important to someone, Winter. I'm sorry, but you need to give me something more than that."

Winter fixed a glare onto Turtle and flared his nostrils in anger, but before he could say anything Moon interrupted, "Turtle, Flint's not just his friend. Flint adopted Winter as his sib."

Turtle blinked in surprise, "I thought Clay was the only Mudwing who had done that?"

Winter moved toward Flint and sat down before him. He placed his paw on the side of Flint's head, "It's true," he said in a whisper. "Turtle, please! Save him! Save my brother, Turtle, please!" A single tear dropped from Winter's eye as Turtle looked at him.

Turtle's face softened, "Okay, I'll do it," then stepped forward to observe the wound. "My river rock won't work on this. I'll need to enchant something else to help him. Do you have a stone or crystal or something that I can use?" Winter reached up to a shelf on the wall and pulled down a rock from Flint's collection and handed it to Turtle. He snorted in amusement, "A piece of flint: how poetic."

Turtle took it from Winter and spoke an enchantment onto the rock, "I enchant this piece of flint to cure any venom or poison." Then he held the flint over Flint's chest wound where the venom originated. Seconds passed before Winter noticed the venom start to recede. Turtle sighed in relief. "It's working. He's going to be alright."

Winter released the breath that he had been holding before he put his paw on Turtle's shoulder, "Thank you." He looked back to where Moon was and saw her eyes wide in fear, "Moon, what's wrong?"

Turtle had looked back at her with Winter's question as well when they both heard her speak quietly, "He's coming, and he brought reinforcements." It took Winter only moments to know who she was referring to.

He looked into Moon's eyes looking for any sign of a trick or a mistake. There was none. "Turtle, stay here and look after Flint. Moon go to your room and stay there." He started walking down the hallway towards the front door when he heard bangs coming from his destination.

The others were walking down the research hallway when he walked by, "Stay behind me if your coming. If not, stay inside and out of the way." He reached the door and opened it when he felt rough claws grab him on either side and throw him into the snow. He felt the same claws lift him up and hold him in place to keep him from moving.

His vision finally focused, and he saw the Qibli's unamused visage standing in front of him. "Hello, Winter." His head snapped to the right as Qibli back-clawed him across the face, "I warned you of the consequences of lying to me! Did you think I was lying!" Winter snarled in fresh anger. He dared return here after almost killing Flint? As Winter opened his maw and built up his frostbreath in his mouth, he was hit again-this time harder.

It was hard enough to make him see stars and he felt dizzy for a few seconds afterward, "I tried to be civil, Winter! The Mudwing was a warning!" Upon seeing the hatred in Winter's eyes, Qibli smirked, "Did he die? Hmm? You know doing one's duty is a terrible business, but sometimes…it can be a real...pleasure."

Winter glared at him, "Before you leave today, I'm going to kill you."

Qibli smirked again, "We'll see." Qibli looked back to his contingent of eight other Sandwing guards, "Search the place! I want everyone in there, out here!" They went inside and five minutes later, everyone was outside except Moon. He had struggled to get free once he had seen that they had even dragged Flint's unconscious body outside. One of the guards holding him had punched him in the gut, causing him to lose his breath. That just made him want to kill them even more.

"So, you brought Turtle back and had him save your Mudwing friend. A pity. I had rather hoped he died. You've got an interesting group here, though, Winter. It almost reminds me of our old winglet: two Mudwings, a Nightwing, two Skywings, and a Seawing." He moved to the next group, "And the two traitors: ex-princess Blaze and the former general Mojave. I have to say, Blaze, I never expected to see you up here. I never expected to see you again, period. All of us thought you would have died in the desert." She simply growled back at him. He rolled his eyes, "Act tough all you want, you're still nothing compared to me."

He looked to Mojave next, "And Mojave, you have a chance at redemption. Submit and swear loyalty to Queen Thorn and I'll let you live."

Mojave snarled at him, "I'd sooner bow my head to Scarlet before I swear loyalty to your tyrant of a queen!" Qibli's smirk vanished instantly and smacked Mojave across the face once, twice, thrice. Mojave never so much as flinched.

Qibli noticed this and snarled himself before stabbing Mojave in the chest with his tail barb. Winter just watched in horror as the dragon he once considered one of his closest friends pumped gallon after gallon of his venom into one of his new friend's bloodstream. Blaze screamed out in horror, and several of his other friends tried to fight their captors to no avail.

Winter couldn't comprehend what he had just witnessed. As Mojave's body slumped forward into the snow, Winter's horrified gaze switched to Qibli. There was no remorse in his eyes. When another scream pierced the air from where the front door was, Winter looked and saw another Sandwing hauling Moon out of the building. Winter looked back to Qibli and saw a gleam of malicious glee in his eyes. The Qibli that Winter once knew was dead. There was no trace of his old friend remaining in this monster.

There was no reason to spare his life anymore.

"Qibli, y-you k-kil—" Moon was interrupted as he smacked her across the face, and she fell to the ground. Winter's rage rekindled at the scene he had just witnessed. He knew he couldn't do anything right now. He would bide his time and strike at the opportune moment…just like Qibli had taught him.

Anger was clearly written across Qibli's face as he started yelling at Moon, "YOU DO NOT SPEAK UNLESS SPOKEN TO!" When Moon had shaken off her shock and started to stand, Qibli grabbed her by the throat and Winter heard her struggle to breathe. "YOU BELONG TO ME! YOU ARE MINE, NO ONE ELSE'S! NO ONE CAN HELP YOU!" Once Moon started crying, Qibli hit her again before throwing her back down.

Winter saw Moon look to him in utter desperation. He couldn't do anything—not yet. Qibli turned his back and looked to the remaining dragons in the line, "Which one should I kill next, Winter? Blaze? The Mudwing, he's almost dead anyways. I'd be putting him out of his misery at this point. Or Turtle?" He looked the mentioned Seawing in the eye before saying, "I'd be doing the world a favor by getting rid of this abomination."

Winter saw the fear, confusion, and betrayal written clearly in Turtle's eyes even as far away as he was. He had told Turtle what Qibli had become, but it was clear Turtle was holding out some form of hope. Winter heard a soft moan coming from somewhere near him. Qibli hadn't heard it since Turtle was on the other side of the line from where the moan was coming from. His guards had noticed, though. It was Flint, and he was starting to wake up.

The grip on his tail weakened slightly as one of the guards shifted to look at Flint's unconscious form, and Qibli was too distracted harassing his friends to notice anything he did. This was his moment. Icewing tails were nowhere near as flexible as a Rainwing's, but they were flexible enough—and they were covered with sharp spikes. Winter shot his tail up and into the neck of the Sandwing holding his right side. When that guard fell over clutching his fatal wound, Winter lurched to the right to unbalance the other guard before reaching over with his right claws and raking them across the guard's throat. Both of them were fatally wounded.

When he was free, Winter launched forward. He was like the Icewings from the ambush on Flint's troop: quick, efficient, and aiming for the kill. It had happened so fast that no one had been ready for it—including Qibli. Winter reached Qibli just as he had begun to turn around and stabbed his serrated claws into Qibli's heart. Moon screamed. He looked at Winter dumbfounded and in pain as the Icewing stared right back at him with hatred, "I always keep my word." Then he twisted his claws out and raked his other claws across Qibli's neck.

As Qibli's dead body fell into the bloodstained snow, the rest of the Sandwing guards fled. Winter knew they were going to report to Thorn, but that was a problem for another time. He turned around to face his friends and saw several different expressions on their faces.

Raven, Titan, Blaze, and Flare were looking at him with shock. They had never known what he had been like before. They didn't know what he was potentially capable of. Titan and Flare had never been in the war and so had mostly likely never witnessed another dragon being killed, and he had just killed three within the span of a few seconds. Blaze had a similar reason apart from witnessing the death of her sisters. Although, being bitten by a dragonbite viper or disintegrating probably wasn't as gruesome as seeing another dragon mauled to death. Winter wasn't really sure about Raven's reaction. She didn't talk about her past much.

Swordfish and Amber looked relieved. After all, the one that had killed their friend and was about to kill somebody else lay dead in the snow. They didn't want to die-especially not like this.

Flint was concerned. In all the time that they had known each other, neither of them had taken another's life. This was where most of their problems originated from, after all. Winter was trying to act stoic after finishing his deed, but they both knew that Winter had been deeply affected by what he had just done. Perhaps it was buried deep, but it would only be a matter of time before it surged forth, and Winter would have to face the harsh reality of what he had just done.

Turtle stared at him in horror. Qibli used to be their friend, and it was understandable for Turtle to react the way he was. Even though he had seen what Qibli had become, Turtle still had hope for him. He was the kind of dragon who tried to look for the best in others, so for Winter to take Qibli's life was most likely as unforgivable as Qibli taking Mojave's life.

The one expression the pained him the most was Moon's. She sat there staring at him wide eyed with _fear._ He tried to understand why. She had wanted his help, so why wasn't she relieved? He knew killing Qibli probably wasn't the BEST way for things to end up, but there was no alternative, right? It took a moment before he realized.

She still loved him.

She loved him for the way that he was. She didn't want Qibli dead. She wanted him back. She wanted to help him. _Yet she gave up on me._ Moon's expression morphed into something else: anger. That's when he realized, he had never put his armband back on. "I was wrong about you, Winter. You have changed—just not for the better. I never thought you could be a murderer."

His expression morphed into one of utter disbelief before devolving into anger. She thought HE was a murderer after what Qibli had done to Mojave!? "WAKE UP, MOON!" She flinched back. He knew this wasn't the way to handle this situation, but he couldn't stop himself. "He killed Mojave, he tried to kill Flint, he blatantly insulted Turtle, he hit you, and stars know what else he has done! What do you think would have happened if I hadn't done what I did!?"

"We could have found a way to help him! You just didn't want to try because you've always been jealous of him!" Moon shouted back. She was in tears by this point.

Winter's expression darkened immediately, and he stared at Moon with such anger that she took a step back and Flint stepped forward to intervene. Flint opened his mouth to speak, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a series of screams and horrified gasps.

Winter looked to see what the fuss was about when he saw it. Qibli's body was changing. It was morphing into something else like it was made of clay. He looked to the dead guards' bodies and noticed that only one of them were doing the same thing. He looked back to Qibli's body and noticed his scales falling off, his tail was becoming more normal in appearance, and every discernable feature except for his scars started to disappear in front of his eyes as his underlying skin turned white.

Where Qibli's body had been moments ago now laid a completely new dragon. It was a kind that Winter had never seen before. He watched Swordfish walk up to the corpse of the unknown dragon and say, "Stars above! I think that's a Changewing!"

**AN: So how many of you actually expected that? I'm betting it's none of you since I was so careful and mysterious about it. Did any of you get the feels for Flint when he told his story? I would love to hear what you all think about it, so read, enjoy, and-if you really want to-review.**

**I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out since I haven't explicitly planned it out like I have with these. I have ideas and directions and I know how I want the story to end, but it might take me a while to flesh out the fine details of the following chapters. **

**Also, real quick, if you want to submit any cover art for the story send me a pm. I can't pay you or anything, but I will give you full credit for any artwork you send. I'll take anything, but, of course, only one can make the cover art. I will give everyone credit, though, and thanks in advance if you happen to send in any.**

**Until next time,**

**AdmiralCole22**


	5. Chapter 4

Dragons Change

**AN: If you thought that the last chapter was long, just wait until you read this one. It turned out WAY longer than I expected it to (9.3k words). I really need to stop doing such long chapters, but I promised all of you something for this chapter. I didn't want to put it off yet again, so I just went with it. The Sum 41 Pieces songfic is in this chapter like I said it would be. I hope that it's good since this is the first time I've done something like this.**

**This chapter is mostly filler, but it is necessary to transition between the two main parts of the story. Not to fear, though. You have all of the emotions and angst that you could ever dream of. Seriously, I got emotional writing this. In several different parts, actually.**

**Theresalwaysthatone asked me for permission to write a poem about my story so far. I agreed. It's called Invisible and I REALLY recommend you go read it if you like this story. They capture Winter's emotional struggle so well in such a short, condensed poem that follows the events of my story so far. Read it. Review it. Support them. You won't be disappointed.**

**Cover art is by Saiba-of-the-Icewings; all credit belongs to him. His DeviantArt profile is beyzul. Go check him out; he's got really good art.**

**Warning: VERY dark emotional bits in this chapter. Two parts near the end-one in the flashback and one after it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OC Flint belongs to me. Most of the others are just names to faces.**

Chapter 4:

The others began to cluster around the bodies of the two 'Changewings' that Swordfish had identified. Winter was more focused on Mojave's body. He knew the chances of Mojave still being alive was slim to none, but he had to check anyway. When Winter placed a claw on his neck to check for a pulse, he had found none. He was dead.

Winter contemplated asking Turtle to do something, but Mojave knew he would probably die when he said what he did. Raising his body for selfish desires of friendship wouldn't be fair. He deserved to rest in peace.

When he tuned back in to the rest of the world, he heard Blaze ask, "What's a Changewing?"

"Yeah, I feel like I know that name from somewhere," came from Titan.

Winter knew the name, too, but couldn't place where exactly he had heard it before. He decided to pay attention to Swordfish's upcoming mini lecture. Though he was the youngest among them, Swordfish always spoke in a tone that screamed out 'future professor.' "All tribes have their own myths and legends about them, but the basic premise remains the same. The stories tell of dragons who can change their appearance at will to make them look like someone else."

Turtle spoke up, "Animus dragons can enchant things to do that, too. Chameleon and Scarlet used Darkstalker's scroll for that purpose."

Swordfish looked to Turtle as if scolding a troublesome student, "Where do you think he got that idea, exactly?" That quieted them all rather quickly.

Winter looked at everyone's expressions to gauge what they might be thinking. All of them had expressions that he expected except Flint. He looked regretful. When Winter questioned him about it, he replied, "It's just a shame. The first dragons we meet from a new tribe were hostile and we had to kill them. I wish things were different is all." He looked over to Mojave's body, "I wish we could have saved them."

Winter found that he couldn't agree but didn't argue the point. Flint was entitled to his own opinion, after all. The Changewings had made this personal when they attacked—in some cases killed—those he cared about.

He watched Moon walk up to the body when she finally shook herself free from her stupor. "I never knew," she whispered. "I've seen inside his thoughts and never knew he wasn't really Qibli. How did he do it?" She was asking no one in particular, but Swordfish started giving possible explanations anyway: magic, training, perhaps both, or something else they couldn't fathom.

Winter wanted to comfort Moon, but when he tried to get closer to her, she looked at him warily before moving away. He understood, they had both said things they—hopefully—didn't mean and it would take a while before things between them would mend again.

Winter looked back to the others and noticed all of them staring at him. Turtle and a few others were looking at him uneasily while the rest looked to him in respect, "What?" he asked, confused.

Flint walked up and stood by him as Turtle and the others stood in front of him. Moon was walking back into the Sanctuary, casting dirty looks in his direction. Flare began to speak, "What do we do, Winter?"

Winter gave her a questioning look, "You're asking me?"

Flint spoke next, "You brought all of these dragons together from the different tribes. You started the Sanctuary. They look to you for guidance, Winter."

Winter shook his head, "You helped with all of that, too, Flint. Besides, I'm no leader. I've never BEEN a leader. You're a bigwings, Flint. Why don't you tell them what to do?"

Flint snorted and looked away, "I was a real good leader when I lead my sibs to their death, huh?" He shook his head and looked back to Winter, "I learned that day that I wasn't meant to lead, but I've seen what you can do, Winter. You ARE a leader. You just have to believe in yourself."

Winter looked at all the faces of the dragons looking to him. While some were more uncomfortable than others, all of them were looking to him for guidance. They believed in him. Why? He had gotten Mojave killed. He could've moved faster or done something else. He should've distracted 'Qibli' better. "None of them blame you for what happened, Winter." He looked behind him and saw Moon staring at the ground.

He surveyed the area as he thought. _We need to talk later, Moon._ He tried to make it as comforting as possible, but he was still a little bitter at what she had said. Winter would forgive her—that much was obvious—but it might take time.

He nodded as he came to a conclusion. These dragons trusted him—for now, at least. They believed in him. Maybe he should believe in himself, too. "Okay. Swordfish, gather as much info as you can from these bodies: any natural defenses or ways to tell a real from a fake. Once he's done, Flint, you and Titan gather these bodies and burn them. Blaze, will you take care of Mojave for us?" She nodded after a moment's pause.

"The rest of you gather supplies. We can't stay here. I don't know how many of those Sandwings were actually Changewings, but we should assume that at least a few of them were. They'll report to Thorn and tell her what we've done. She'll come after us if we don't leave."

Flint decided to ask the question that was doubtless on everyone else's mind, "Where will we go?"

Winter thought for a moment before replying, "We're going to the rainforest." He paused and waited for any objections. There were none. "You've got your assignments. We leave in three hours."

As they set about their work, Winter turned and walked into the Sanctuary. He saw a flash of black scales farther down the residential hall and paused. He wanted to talk with her but thought it best to leave her be for now. He was sure she wanted privacy right now. He was also sure that she was reading his thoughts, so he started walking towards Flint's room. He found his armband where he had left it and put it back on.

When he turned around, Moon was watching him intently but dashed away when Winter looked her in the eyes. He could see the hurt and anger evident in them. He knew why. At one time he had been comfortable around her without wearing skyfire. When he put it back on, she saw it as a sign that he no longer trusted her. He actually DID trust her, but he needed privacy right now—both physically and mentally.

He made his way to the scavenger pens. He would release them since they couldn't remain here with no one attending to them. He had created bonds with each of them. They trusted him, but Winter knew he couldn't take them with him. It wasn't safe. He said words of comfort to each of them before opening the exterior doors. Winter made sure they had plenty of food and coverings for the near freezing air outside as he sent them on their way.

It had taken Winter two years to get this place up and running and had studied the scavengers for four years. It had taken less than two weeks, however, before his lifelong goal had been taken away from him. It had nearly been three hours by the time he was finished with the scavengers. By now, everyone was most likely outside ready to go.

Winter walked the hallways alone and in silence taking in every small detail and recalling every memory. He stopped beside the dedication plaque and reached up to gently rub his paw across it. It read: 'This Sanctuary stands as a reminder that dreams can be attained if you reach high enough and is dedicated to those who could no longer be with us.' Several names had been carved into it. Among them were the name of Winter's father, Narwhal, and the names of Flint's sisters: Quail, Loess, Glade, and Lily.

Winter gently lifted the plaque from the wall since it was made of cedar wood from the Mud Kingdom and banded with iron for support. He and Flint had put this here the day the Sanctuary had opened. Everyone treated it with respect. Winter wouldn't leave this behind, so he placed it in a satchel he took from the supply room. He knew Thorn would send her troops here, and when they found the place empty, Winter could almost guarantee that they would torch the entire building.

Winter walked outside and saw a pile of gathered supplies and the fire where the bodies of the Sandwing guard and the two Changewings had been gathered together and were burning nicely. Nobody was watching the grisly seen, however, since they were all gathered around a fresh grave. They were all quiet and respectful as each of them took turns saying something about their colleague and friend. More than a few tears were falling from the stirring eulogies.

Winter walked up and stood beside them as Raven was finishing hers, tears flowing freely from her eyes "…a-and he was t-the only one I could truly open up t-to." She stopped as a sob escaped from her as Winter walked up and stood beside Flint. Flint silently looked over to him as Winter noticed Raven doing the same. She finally spoke again in a soft voice when she calmed down, "He was my Flint, and I miss him already."

The others glanced over to Flint for a moment before looking toward Winter. He knew what they wanted. They wanted a big, fancy speech from the one they considered their leader. He didn't have one, but he couldn't say nothing. Mojave was his friend after all, and Winter did care about him. He looked at all of the sullen faces before pulling out the plaque.

He gently carved Mojave's name into an open space before putting it away and looking back up, "I've never liked adding names to this plaque, but Mojave, our friend, helped make this Sanctuary possible and he deserves to be remembered as such. He wasn't the smartest dragon here, but Mojave was dedicated and passionate about his work. He was a caring dragon that was loyal to those he was close with. He was a colleague and friend to us all, and he will be missed."

He waited for a minute, but nobody spoke. He must have been the last. Winter surveyed the crestfallen faces around him. He looked to each of them in turn: Raven, Titan, Flare, Blaze, Turtle, Flint, Swordfish, Amber, and finally Moon. All of them were saddened at Mojave's death, but Moon seemed to be the worst. He wondered why before realization clicked a few seconds later.

She blamed herself.

Moon never meant for any of this to happen. She never knew just how deep the corruption in the Sand Kingdom ran. None of them did. For all they knew, every tribe had been potentially infiltrated. The Sandwings were obvious, and it was likely the Icewings were, too, if the information from Blaze was any indication. She had inadvertently set off a chain off events that lead to the attack on the Sanctuary and Mojave's death. If her silent tears were any sign, he probably wasn't the only one on this line of thinking.

He would talk to her later, but for now, they had to get ready to leave. "Listen up!" All of them looked to him, "It's time to go. Grab what you can from the pile of supplies and get ready to take flight."

Moon snapped her head over to him and yelled out angrily, "Give them a moment for pity's sake!"

Winter looked over to her before replying in an equally angry tone, "By nightfall, this building will be swarming with Sandwings! If we don't leave now, we won't be able to get far enough away before they catch us!"

She looked away before nodding sullenly. Everyone started gathering supplies from the pile before Flint came up to Winter and asked him quietly, "Are we taking the shortcut?"

Winter knew he was talking about the tunnel. The tunnels weren't common knowledge to most of the dragons in Pyrrhia. After all, the Rainwings and Sandwings didn't want others to know about secret shortcuts into their kingdom that others could use to attack them. "No. It's too close to the Sandwing Palace. We'll have to go the long way."

Flint nodded, "I know." Flint placed his paw onto his shoulder and looked into Winter's eyes when he turned to look at him, "I just didn't want you to make the same mistake I did." Winter saw Flint look away slightly.

Flint—unlike Winter—had long since moved on from his past. It wasn't from lack of trying on Winter's part that he hadn't fully moved on, but Flint had had a better dragonethood by far than he had. Flint had never had any parents like all Mudwings, but his sisters had been all of the family and support that he needed. Winter, however, well…

Let's just say they weren't his happiest memories.

Though Flint had moved on, that didn't mean the memory of that night didn't still hurt when he thought about it. Winter understood that. Scars like theirs' never truly healed; they merely faded over time. Winter wrapped his foreleg around Flint's shoulders and pulled him into a one-armed hug. Words weren't needed. Winter's silent show of affection said everything better than mere words could.

He gently rubbed Flint's opposite shoulder with his paw before breaking the hug. Flint smiled sadly over to him, "Thanks, Winter." He lowered his voice so that only Winter could hear, "I couldn't ask for a better sib."

Winter's reaction was instantaneous. The two of them had known each other for more than six years, but Flint had only called Winter his sib once before—the day the two of them had opened up to each other in the rainforest. He had never again called Winter his sib or his brother after that day. They had stuck to being best friends since then because that had been what they were. Winter had realized earlier today only when Flint was dying that the word 'friend' no longer fit.

Winter had felt that their bond was stronger than that, and now Flint felt the same. He had said it with such genuine affection and brotherly love that Winter's breath hitched as a surge of emotions welled up within him: love for his brother, happiness at his sense of acceptance, and fear. Flint had almost died today, and it made Winter realize that he wasn't just worried about losing Flint. Winter was terrified of losing him.

What if Turtle hadn't been here and Flint had died? Winter doubted he would have been able to function as well as he was. That last thought gave way to another. _I don't think I would have been able to handle watching Flint die. I wouldn't know what to do anymore. He's always been by my side since the rainforest. Losing him would be like losing a part of myself._

Deathbringer had helped Winter be more open, but without Flint, Winter would have never moved on from his past as much as he did. Keeping the things that he had told Flint secret for almost his entire life had been destroying him—eating away at his soul piece by piece. He dreaded what would have happened if the two of them hadn't met. He doubted he would have lasted this long.

Winter knew that his extreme attachment to Flint was most likely due to his lack of companionship as a child. His entire family had hated him from the moment he had hatched so he hadn't had anyone to be close with until Jade Mountain, yet even those ties had quickly dissipated. He had thought Deathbringer might be a good replacement, but when Winter had become close to Flint, he had begun to drift away, too. It hadn't been because Deathbringer no longer cared, but because he claimed that his help was no longer needed since Flint was beginning to help him. Winter had understood. As Queen Glory's most trusted advisor and personal bodyguard—they would be married the year after Winter left the rainforest—he had better things to do than dragonet-sit Winter.

Flint had been the first dragon he had formed such a close bond with. Due to the absence of a friend Winter could be close with when he was younger, his emotional bonds had attached to Flint with unwavering tenacity. He knew this. He had once told Flint this very thought, yet Flint hadn't cared. He had understood Winter's extreme need for attachment and companionship and had accepted it without any hesitation.

Apparently, Flint saw the raging storm of emotion playing across Winter's face because he yelled out, "Make sure there's nothing left inside that any of you want to take before we leave!" They understood the underlying message in his words and all of them went back inside. Winter didn't like showing his emotions to others. Winter didn't like them to see how broken their fearless leader could sometimes be. When Moon and Turtle hesitated, Flint motioned for them to go inside. Blaze had gone over to tend to the fire.

After the others had gone inside, Flint dropped his façade and brought Winter into another hug, "I don't need to read minds to know what you're thinking, Winter. You're stronger than you think you are."

Winter had let his mask fall when the others had left, too. He didn't need to hide his true feelings from Flint. As Winter let out several shaky breaths, he managed to say in a mostly steady voice, "I—I almost lost you today, Flint!"

Flint wrapped his huge wings around Winter after he had spoken, "I know. I'm sorry. I never meant for that to happen. I never meant to worry you like that." He pushed Winter away slightly so he could look into his eyes, "When I was laying there—feeling the strength leave my body—the only thing I could think about was how you might react once I had…" He trailed off, unwilling to finish his sentence, "We promised each other we would watch the other's back. That's what I intend to do."

After five minutes had passed and both of them had calmed down, the others had started to prepare once again. There was complete silence as everyone finally lifted into the air. Winter and Flint were in the front. Winter was there because he was the de facto leader of their group. Flint was there because he knew Winter needed the support right now.

As Flint's wingbeats sounded on his right and everyone else's sounded behind him, Winter had one thought that kept repeating in his mind as he occasionally looked over to Flint,_ He's helped me so much through the years, yet all of his work is coming undone. With everything that's happened recently, I'm starting to get worse._

The trip to the rainforest took longer than usual. Since they were burdened with supplies, they had to stop and rest more frequently than if they had been unburdened. There had been a few close calls with Sandwing patrols but luckily Moon had detected their thoughts and gave them fair warning before they had been spotted.

Once they had gotten into Skywing kingdom, they had relaxed slightly but didn't let their guard down completely. If anyone could be replaced, they had no idea who could actually be a Changewing infiltrator. "Trust no one," had been Winter's order. That technically included everyone in the Rainforest Kingdom, but until they knew otherwise, Winter would give them the benefit of doubt. After all, there was no guarantee the other kingdoms HAD been infiltrated. In simpler terms: They would be cautious but not paranoid.

They had run into a Skywing patrol who asked them where a group like theirs had been headed. There was no reason to lie. Groups like theirs were commonly seen going to the rainforest. Afterwards, the captain had bid them farewell and they had parted ways. They met no one else afterwards.

After cutting through a small part of the Mud Kingdom, Amber had asked if she could return home. Winter had been skeptical, and Flint had been worried, but ultimately, it was her choice. None of them had asked for this, and no matter how much Winter believed they were safer if they stayed together, he couldn't tell any of them how to live their lives. That's why he had chosen Jade Mountain over staying in the Ice Kingdom. He wanted to live his own life instead of living it for someone else.

They had all been saddened when Amber's silhouette faded into the distance, but the others decided to push on to the rainforest. Titan and Flare couldn't return to the Sky Kingdom. Raven's tribe was in the rainforest, but she had no family.

Winter wasn't sure why Swordfish had stuck around since he had a loving family and a home to return to. Maybe he stayed as a way to honor Mojave. Swordfish may have been smarter and acted superior than everyone else, but Winter knew that he looked up to Mojave just like Mojave had looked up to him. Swordfish wasn't a grizzled veteran like Mojave had been, but it was possible he was trying to be brave like his fallen friend was.

He knew why Flint was still there. The two of them were nigh inseparable. He would follow Winter into the depths of the underworld if needed just like Winter would follow him. Turtle had come with him to help, and Moon had come to him for help. Then again, her mother was in the rainforest. She might only be with them until she found Secretkeeper. Winter could only guess.

Throughout the whole journey, neither Moon nor Turtle had spoken to him once. Winter could think of only one reason why: They were afraid of him. He would deal with them later. Right now, though, they had reached the borders of the rainforest.

The Rainwings were usually welcoming to travelers, so it came as a surprise when one had flown in front of them asking them to turn away. Winter and Flint had looked between each other in confusion before Winter spoke up, "May we ask why?"

A wave of red-orange rippled across the Rainwing's scales before they returned to their original color, "There has been trouble within the rainforest, so Queen Glory has closed the borders. No one gets in or out until the situation has been resolved."

Moon had flown to the front and was looking at the Rainwing intently. She was on the other side of Flint. _She's still staying away from me._ She spoke quietly to Flint before he spoke, "We can help if you let us in. Queen Glory knows us." At the Rainwing's suspicious look, Flint elaborated, "Tell her or Deathbringer that Flint and Winter are trying to seek refuge once again."

The Rainwing merely looked down to the trees where another had materialized and had started flying into the rainforest. "Land. Now. We will see if you speak the truth." They had complied. Three hours later, several Rainwings had arrived and spoke to their guard. He nodded before speaking to their group, "I apologize for this." Before any of them could react, the Rainwings had all pulled out blowguns and shot each of them with sleeping darts.

When Winter awoke, his mind was groggy from the sleep dart. It took him a while before he remembered why he had been shot in the first place. When he was finally able to open his eyes, he looked around to take in his surroundings. He was in a large wooden room—the healer's hut if he remembered correctly. Most of his group was already awake. Flare was still asleep, but Titan was still watching over her. Raven was about to wake up if her muffled groans were any indication.

The rest of them were already awake. Moon and Turtle were over in the corner talking to each other. Swordfish was talking with Blaze while glancing over in Raven's direction. He must have been as worried about her as Winter was. He had never known she and Mojave were that close. He didn't think anyone else had known, either. Flint was sitting beside Winter's bed. They were the closest to the door.

Upon noticing his friend stirring, Flint spoke, "Hey, Winter. You okay?" He got a nod in response. "Good. No one's come by to check on us except for our guard."

Winter looked over and noticed that it was the same Rainwing who had shot them before, "You!" He bared his fangs, "You have some nerve shooting us with those things!" Winter may have changed over the years, but he still had whatever was left of his dignity…and his pride to uphold.

The Rainwing looked over to him with an unimpressed expression. _Since when are Rainwings like THIS. He isn't even fazed._ "It was nothing personal. I was only following orders." He paused to study them for a moment before adding, "I'm Mangrove, by the way."

The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Winter wasn't able to ponder on where he had heard it before since another voice sounded from the door. "I had hoped you two would make it on your own and wouldn't need my hospitality again."

Everyone looked to the door to see who the new voice belonged to. The glare of the sun was a bit too harsh to clearly see who it was, but when they stepped forward, Flint and Winter came face to face with Queen Glory herself. Winter didn't see Deathbringer with her which was kind of odd since he usually didn't stray too far from Glory.

Glory observed all of the faces within the room. Surprise flashed across both her scales and face when she looked at Blaze. She didn't say anything about that, though. Yet. Instead she looked over to Moon, "I told your mother that you were here. She wants to see you as soon as possible." Her gaze finally landed back on Winter and Flint, "So is this the exodus part two, or should I be worried?"

The two friends looked between each other before Moon stepped forward to interrupt, "Maybe we should wait for the others. They'll want to hear this, too."

Before any of them could ask what 'others' she was referring to, Winter heard a feminine squeal before hearing someone shout, "SPARKLES!" He was so confused that he just sat there until he felt someone tackle him. As soon as the weight appeared it vanished, and he looked around until he found who it was. _Kinkajou. I should have known._

She ran around talking at different dragons in the room and moving on before they could ever reply. It went something like:

"OH, MY STARS! I haven't seen you in forever, Winter! Do you like your new nickname? I came up with it all by myself! How have you been? OH! Turtle, why are you here? Did school get out early? Did you get fired? No, Tsunami wouldn't fire you, right? It's good to see you! And OH, you brought my bestest friend ever! I haven't seen you in forever either! Where have you two been!? I thought I might never see you again but here you are, so all is forgiven, I suppose! Is that Blaze? What's she doing here? Are we friends now, too? I want to be friends with a princess! There's a bunch of new people, too! Hi! Hi! Hi! How are you? She looks sleepy! Maybe because she's asleep!? HaHa! I saw Peril and Clay yesterday in the Mud Kingdom! They were both okay! That just leaves Qibli! Where is he!? Is he here!? I don't see him! QIBLI!?"

Winter's mind was spinning as he tried to wrap his head around the blur of words he had just heard. From the expressions of those around him, he wasn't the only one. When she had mentioned Qibli, though, many of the expressions changed to either anger or sadness. Apparently sensing the rising tension in the room, Kinkajou looked over to both Winter and Moon, who had come closer to better converse with them. "Did something happen to Qibli?" She switched gazes back and forth from Winter to Moon and back again, "Are you two—?"

"NO!" Moon shouted. "No, we're not." Winter looked at her. He knew that she was upset with him—putting it mildly—but he didn't think it would be this bad. She had given her answer to Kinkajou like the very idea of them being together disgusted her now. _With what I did, I wouldn't blame her._ He looked down in shame since he didn't want to meet anyone's accusing looks. _Will she ever trust me again? Will Turtle?_

Winter looked back up and noticed Kinkajou's worried expression. He was about to say something when yet another voice sounded from the other side of the door, "You never tell me what's going on, Glory! I have to learn from one of the Nightwings that transported these dragons about what happened! They could be dangerous! How am I—" The voice cut off when a Nightwing turned the corner and looked at the group in the room before giving off a light chuckle. "I take it back! Flint! Winter! Nice to see you two again!"

When the glare had left THIS dragon's form, Winter and Flint both perked up upon seeing who had entered. "Deathbringer!" They both yelled at the same time.

Deathbringer had come forward and wrapped his arms and wings around the two and pulled them in for a hug. He released them after a few seconds, "It's been six years and not a single letter! I'm sooo disappointed in the both of you!" His smile suggested otherwise. "You think you can just leave the rainforest and forget all about your old pal Deathbringer?"

Winter noticed Glory come up behind Deathbringer and put a gentle claw on his shoulder as a signal to settle down. "Everyone became tense when Kinkajou mentioned Qibli's name. Is there something we should know?"

Winter looked over to Flint before looking back at the faces of his friends. At least he thought they were all still his friends. Turtle and Moon were a little iffy in his mind. How much should he tell Glory, Deathbringer, and Kinkajou? Could they trust them? Had they been replaced? If not, had any of the other Rainwings or Nightwings been replaced? That guard Mangrove was kind of suspicious. He hadn't flinched when Winter growled at him.

Moon opened her mouth to speak but Winter spoke before she had a chance to, "The Sanctuary was attacked by a band of raiders. I guess they thought we were an easy target. We didn't know what else to do, so we decided to come here."

The two dragons before him exchanged glances before Glory spoke again, "That is…unfortunate." From her tone, she had picked up on the fact that Winter had avoided answering her question. "All of you are, of course, welcome to stay, but I must ask that none of you wander on your own. We've had a few…" She hesitated before looking over at Deathbringer.

He took that as a sign to speak, "Nothing major, I promise. There's been a few troublemakers is all, but if you see any suspicious activity let me or Glory know. In the meantime…" He paused and smirked slightly as his gaze drifted over to Turtle and Kinkajou, "Try not to make too much noise. It's almost suntime, after all."

The two couples in the room looked embarrassed at the hidden connotation, but neither of them tried to deny anything. Winter noticed Moon giving him another dirty look, but he didn't pay it any mind for right now. Instead he said, "You said you had problems here? Is there anything we can do to help?"

Deathbringer shook his head, "No. You shouldn't concern yourself with our problems. It's all managements' fault." Glory gave him a dirty look before smacking the back of his head which caused Deathbringer to break out into boisterous laughter.

Winter didn't show it, but he was suspicious. What were these two hiding? He looked to Flint, who seemed almost as worried as he felt. Moon had walked out without a word to anyone. _I'm not making things better for myself, am I? _Several others started filing out of the door per Moon's example, so Winter decided to leave, too. Flint had followed him out.

Glory had, of course, given them leave to wander around the rainforest as long as they stayed within the village. It seemed that many of the Nightwings had begun integrating into the main Rainwing village, so Winter saw a lot more of them than the last time he had been here.

Moon had gone off to find her mother, not that Winter could blame her. Turtle had disappeared along with Kinkajou. Nobody knew where they had gone. He saw Raven, Titan, Flare, and Swordfish wandering around the village like he and Flint were. Blaze had stayed behind to speak with Deathbringer. Winter had heard him yell something like, "I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" when he had been flying away from the healer's hut.

Winter and Flint walked into a clearing and stopped. There was nothing special about this particular clearing—it looked like all of the others—but it had special significance to the two of them. This was where they had opened up to each other for the first time.

Winter looked around the clearing quietly. He felt…different…when he was here. It was almost like being close to where to his happy memories were made him feel better. Maybe that's why he was always grumpier at the Sanctuary. It reminded him of home. With those reminders came the worst memories.

They had been sitting in companionable silence for a few minutes when Flint began to speak, "My life changed that day in this clearing for the better. It's almost like being here calms me—makes me feel at peace." Winter nodded. He had been thinking along those lines, too. "Do you remember the festival?"

Winter nodded once again, "Yes, I do. I think our friendship truly started that night." He looked over to Flint and saw him nodding in agreement. They sat in silence once again and observed the clearing around them.

Winter knew what Flint was talking about—the Unification Festival. It happened once a year on the day that the Nightwings and Rainwings had come together to be ruled under Queen Glory. She had set it up as a way for the two tribes to come closer together. If the number of Nightwings he had seen in the Rainwing village was any hint, it appeared to be working. It wasn't perfect—not yet, at least—but it was working.

The festival was a grand occasion that lasted for three days. On the first day, speakers from both tribes as well as a few guest speakers from outside the rainforest—most of the time it was one of the Dragonets of Destiny or a member of the Talons of Peace—would speak to the assembled dragons about peace, cooperation, and other such things that the two tribes should strive for. On the second, there was a grand feast as well as games and other such activities to take part in. The third, however, was the most special.

The entire third day was a giant talent show. Members of the two tribes and any guests to the festival were allowed to take part. Participation wasn't required, but it was a source of great fun for the rainforest tribes so most of them did. You could do anything you wanted: eating competitions, shows of strength, aerobatics, or agility, flower art. The most popular shows, however, were ones that had music involved.

Though they had been trapped on a volcano for thousands of years, the Nightwings had never lost their love of music. It also happened to be that the Rainwings were one of the most musical tribes on Pyrrhia. The tribes' combined love of music had made the festival into a momentous and highly anticipated event.

Winter and Flint had only been to the festival once, and it had been the last month the two had lived here. Winter listened to the sounds of the rainforest as memories of that night came flooding over him.

_The months after opening up with Flint had simultaneously been some of the best and worst of Winter's life. He had someone to be more open with and talk to whenever he had something bothering him, and that was good. However, it was also bad. _

_Flint never pushed Winter to open up faster than he wanted to, but he did encourage Winter to open up. As a Mudwing, Flint didn't believe that the two of them should keep secrets if they were going to watch out for each other. In Flint's words: 'Secrets are like wedges that pull dragons apart. The less secrets there are between two dragons, the closer they'll be.' It had made sense in Winter's head. Putting it into practice, though, well…_

_It had been hard for Winter to open up—even to Flint—in those days. He had never been used to just telling another dragon his deepest, darkest secrets. One time had been hard enough for Winter, but constantly confessing all of his worst thoughts was taxing to him. Winter had been a lot less friendly in those days._

_He would even lash out at Flint sometimes, but he never complained. Flint saw Winter's angry tirades for what they were. All of the mean, spiteful things that Winter said weren't truly meant for Flint. They were meant for himself._

_He had hated himself._

_Two months after they had opened up to each other, Flint had walked into Winter's hut to speak with him. He had walked in on another one of Winter's brooding sessions. Winter had prepared to deliver another angry tirade when Flint placed a piece of paper and a stick of charcoal in front of him. Winter glared at the paper hard enough that he was slightly surprise it didn't catch fire._

_When Winter slowly shifted his glare from the paper to Flint's slightly amused face, he asked in an angry tone, "What's this for?"_

_Flint pulled out another paper and placed it on top of the blank piece. This one wasn't empty. After reading it Winter scoffed, "You want me to enter some stupid competition!?"_

_Flint's smirk faded, "No, Winter. It's not a competition; it's a talent show. A lot of dragons take part in it."_

_Winter just grabbed the flyer, crumpled it up, and threw it out of the window, "Exactly why should I care?"_

_Flint looked away and sighed, "I promised I would help you, Winter. Remember?" When he got no answer, Flint looked back at Winter's angry expression. "I'm going to be in it, too. The Rainwings and Nightwings like listening to music, so I thought I would write a heartful song and perform it. You should, too. I think it'll help you."_

_Winter looked away, rage still evident in his face. "I'm just fine on my own. I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone's pity." He looked back at Flint, "Especially a Mudwing's." He noticed Flint's worried expression morph into one of hurt and sadness before the Mudwing got up and left the room without another word._

_Winter watched him leave with a twinge of regret. It's not like he cared, right? He did just say that he could take care of himself, so why did Flint's expression affect him so deeply? He knew why, but he would never admit it to himself._

_He sat there staring at that piece of paper for hours, and the longer he sat there, the worse Winter began to feel. Flint was just trying to help, and what did he do? He yelled at and insulted him. Some friend he was. Maybe Flint was right. Maybe he did need this._

_His decision made, he got up and sat back down in a better position on his bed to get a better viewing angle on the piece of paper. Then, Winter picked up the charcoal and sat there staring at the paper for a few minutes before dropping it and huffing._

_Why was he doing this, again? He didn't have anything to prove to anyone. He just wanted peace and a happy life, but he had never gotten that. His entire family hated him, he was an exile from his tribe, he had left behind the only dragons who would probably ever care about him, and the one dragon he loved more than anyone else had picked Qibli over him. And instead of being a dignified Icewing about this, he was letting his emotions control him._

_Winter's eyes filled with moisture as his thoughts began spiraling into the deepest, darkest part of his mind—the part of his mind that he was scared to release. He couldn't stop the flood of self-loathing that had begun building up within him. At first it had started as a cycle of the same thoughts. Then, his thoughts began to become darker._

_He was weak. He was useless. He was undignified. He was a mistake. He was weak. He was useless. He was undignified. He was a mistake. He was weak. He was useless. He was undignified. He was a mistake. He was weak. He was useless. He was undignified. He was a mistake. _

_He should never have been hatched._

_He didn't deserve to be happy._

_He was never good enough for her._

_He didn't want to live anymore._

_That last thought had been too much. Winter crumpled onto his bed like he had crumpled that flyer as great, heavy sobs continually racked his frame. Cold tears spilled down his face in rivers before dropping onto his bed. All the while, his mind kept at his mental self-depreciating tangent. Winter had stayed like that for hours and no one had come in to check on him. Eventually, his tears ran out and—exhausted—he collapsed into unconsciousness._

_ When he woke, his mind was a mess from his emotional breakdown the day before. He looked around and to his utter shock, the piece of paper was still in pristine condition. None of his tears had soaked it and it hadn't even been bent or scrunched during the night._

_ He stared at the paper in disbelief before fragments of yesterday's dark thoughts started popping up in his mind once again. Winter's expression morphed into one of determination, 'That settles it. I'll write a song AND perform it. Maybe Flint will forgive me. Maybe he won't. At least my conscious will be clear.'_

_ He picked up the piece of charcoal and looked at the paper as word after word, line after line started forming, first within his head, then upon the paper. It took several hours before they were to his liking. Before he threw it out, Winter remembered seeing the date for the festival was just over two months away. He would go beyond Flint's expectations._

_ He would learn how to make music._

_ In the two months after that day, Winter had kept himself busy learning how to play and write music. There was no shortage of Rainwings to help him learn. He had gone through too many instruments to count or name, but the one he had settled on was the guitar. He had picked it up faster than any of the others. His Rainwing tutor, Bromeliad, said he had natural talent._

_ When Winter was writing his music, he asked if there were any Rainwings that could help him perform it. Bromeliad had volunteered to play drums and recommended a Rainwing named Papaya for playing bass. Winter had found and asked him the next day, and he had agreed. Winter also thought that a second guitarist would make the song better, so Papaya got his friend Ginko to help as well._

_ After that night, he and Flint had been kind of awkward around each other. They had tried making it up to the other, but it had never returned to the way it was. They talked less and were slightly warier around the other. It broke Winter's heart to know that he was the cause of it, but he would make it up to him during the festival._

_The day of the talent show came all too quickly for Winter's taste. He had been practicing his vocals and guitar playing every day for the last two months, but he had never done this before. He wasn't sure if he was ready. He had to be, though, if not for himself, then for Flint. _

_ As was the custom all of the Rainwings and Nightwings went first, and it was well after dark by the time the non-rainforest tribe dragons were able to take their turn. There had been many shows throughout the day, but most people had done something along the lines of music. All of the performances he had seen had been to songs that were already popular. There was more than one rendition of 'The Dragonets are Coming' and other such culturally significant songs._

_ None of them had been originals, and it made Winter all the more nervous. Would they like his song, even if it wasn't something they had ever heard? He looked over and noticed that Flint seemed confident, so he tried to be, too. It didn't work._

_ It was nearly midnight by the time Winter's and Flint's were the only two performances left to see. The crowd hadn't thinned out any since this morning. In fact, it seemed like it had grown exponentially. The entire clearing had been lit by both torches and moon globes, so everyone could see who was performing—and those performing could see everyone in the crowd._

_ Winter, Papaya, Ginko, and Bromeliad went onto the stage when his name was called. Bromeliad went straight to the drum set while Papaya and Ginko got their respective guitars. Winter walked up and grabbed his guitar before looking out to the crowd. Everyone stared at him in anticipation and Winter felt himself freeze up. 'Heck of a time to find out that I have stage fright.'_

_ The crowd had quieted down and were looking to him questionably. 'They're probably wondering why I haven't started playing, yet. It's a good question, too." He felt a comforting paw on his shoulder and heard Bromeliad say, "You can do this, Winter. You're a natural, remember?"_

_ Winter nodded before taking one last look at the crowd. This time he was able to spot Flint, and he was looking at him with a neutral expression. 'The same kind my father always gave me.' He didn't think Winter could do it. He'd show Flint. He'd show all of them._

_ He took a final, deep breath before beginning to play his guitar. He heard whispers among the crowd about how they didn't recognize the unfamiliar song, but they all faded when Winter started to sing his lyrics: _

_I tried to be perfect,_

_But nothing was worth it._

_I don't believe it makes me real._

_I thought it'd be easy,_

_But no one believes me._

_I meant all the things I said._

_ Ginko started playing his part once Winter started the Chorus. The higher pitched chords contrasted with Winter's piece._

_If you believe it's in my soul,_

_I'd say all the words that I know._

_Just to see if it would show,_

_That I'm trying to let you know,_

_That I'm better off on my own._

_ Winter had stopped playing on the last line before starting up once more. Bromeliad and Ginko had both joined in when Winter did while Papaya played period mini-scales to further deepen the song. When he looked into the crowd, he could see differing reactions: sympathy, sadness, even pity. He didn't care about those looks, though. He looked to Flint, but he still had that unreadable expression on his face. _

_This place is so empty,_

_My thoughts are so tempting,_

_I don't know how it got so bad._

_Sometimes it's so crazy_

_That nothing can save me,_

_But it's the only thing that I have._

_If you believe it's in my soul,_

_I'd say all the words that I know_

_Just to see if it would show,_

_That I'm trying to let you know,_

_That I'm better off on my own._

_ Once again, all of the music stopped as Winter sang the last line before picking up once again when the verse started. The bright music was in direct contrast to the lyrics which—when Winter looked out to the audience once again—made more than a few dragons start shedding tears. Winter looked straight into Flint's eyes once again, but instead of that same stare, Winter saw the same emotions on his face as the rest of the audience._

_ Winter's heart clenched at the sight, but he kept going. This was as much for himself as it was for Flint. With all of the emotional faces in the audience, though, Winter, too, started to feel tears once the true message of his song began to play._

_I tried to be perfect_

_It just wasn't worth it._

_I don't believe it makes me real._

_It's hard to believe me,_

_It never gets easy._

_I guess I knew that all along._

_If you believe it's in my soul,_

_I'd say all the words that I know._

_Just to see if it would show,_

_That I'm trying to let you know,_

_That I'm better off on my own._

_ As the last few notes rang throughout the air, the audience exploded into cheering. 'I did it. They actually liked it.' Winter smiled through the heavy emotions the song had evoked within him. As his group filed off stage behind him, dragons started coming up to him congratulating him on the performance and offering words of support. Rainwings, Nightwings, Sandwings—even Queen Glory and Deathbringer—were among those who wanted to speak with him._

_ He stopped once a Mudwing stood in his way. Flint and Winter stared into each other's eyes before they rushed together and wrapped each other in a highly emotional embrace. The crowd around them simply began cheering louder._

_That had been the night Winter's anger had finally started to lift away. Flint had set all of that up as an elaborate ruse to make him perform that night. He had never planned on singing a song that night, and every day Flint had struggled to not let Winter discover the truth. This is what he had believed Winter needed more than anything._

_ He was right._

_ After that night, the two of them had become almost inseparable. Winter had begun to consider Flint as his closest friend after that night. Flint was the only one he had been comfortable opening up to. Again, not that Winter didn't trust anyone else, but because Flint was the only one Winter thought truly understood him. They had both been through terrible things in their respective pasts, but they knew that if they stuck together, they would be able to conquer anything._

Winter and Flint sat beside each other in companionable silence, their wings and forelegs draped across the other's back and shoulders. "You've done so much for me, Flint." Winter looked over to his friend who looked back, "You've helped me, just like you promised…but I think all of our work is starting to come undone. I wasn't ready for any of this."

Flint looked down in sadness, "I don't think any of us were." Flint hesitated before looking back up with a serious expression, "Winter, I—"

"Am I interrupting something?" A voice asked behind them. They turned around and noticed Moon standing there. "Because if not, I'm ready to have that talk now."

Winter felt as if his insides had been frozen—which was ironic considering he was an Icewing. He wasn't ready for any talk with Moon. Not now, at least. Flint, though, got up and walked away after giving Winter a supportive glance, "I'll wait for you by my old spot near the river."

After Flint had left, Moon came up and sat before Winter, "I can't get what you did out of my head, Winter."

She sounded somewhat accusing, and he knew she would most likely feel this way, but it still hurt slightly. He replied with a neutral tone, "I did what I had to."

Moon's eyes narrowed and her gaze intensified, "You killed Qibli!"

Winter was surprised by that, but he still kept his neutral tone, "No, I didn't. I killed a Changewing."

Then the shouting match started:

"HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WASN'T HIM!"

"I DIDN'T!"

"WHAT IF IT HAD BEEN!"

Winter didn't reply. He couldn't. His entire being was a confused, jumbled mess. He didn't know what he was feeling: Sadness, anger, pain. Nothing was clear. The sheer number of strong emotions that were trying to escape from him made it hard for him to feel and know exactly what was going on in his head.

Moon started talking again, "Winter, what you did was horrible. You were willing to kill Qibli. I didn't think you would be the kind of dragon who would do that. I thought I knew you."

_SHE thought she knew ME._ Winter's anger spiked. _She doesn't know a THING about me! She's been gone for seven years, and she thinks SHE KNOWS ME! _ Winter bared his teeth as he snarled at her, "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME!" He took off his armband and threw it at a tree where it shattered. "SO HERE, GET INSIDE MY HEAD AND FIND OUT WHO I REALLY AM!" Unfortunately, the first thought that went through his head was: _If you were anyone else, I would hurt you right now._

As more and more seconds started going by, Moon got lower and lower to the ground as harder and harder sobs racked her frame. Winter was truly angry for the first time in a long time, and his darkest thoughts were circulating in his head once again.

_I wouldn't hesitate to kill him again._

_ I wish his death had been more painful after what he did._

_ If anyone else tried to get in my way, I would kill them, too._

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes as she began to back away, her voice thick with emotion, "Y-You're a monster!" She got up and bolted through the trees—her sobs echoing throughout the rainforest.

Winter felt like he had been slapped in the face. _This is it! That was my last chance, and I blew it!_ _ Now she hates me and we can never be friends again! _Tears started falling from his own eyes as he collapsed onto the ground and covered his head with his claws and wings._ I'm a monster! She thinks I'm a monster!_

Winter lay there as he cried harder than he ever had before in his life. Hours passed and no one had come to check on him. Not even Flint. As he lay there, a part of his song kept going through his mind. One that was more true now than it was back then.

_If you believe it's in my soul,_

_I'd say all the words that I know._

_Just to see if it would show,_

_That I'm trying to let you know,_

_That I'm better off on my own._

**AN: Be honest, who cried? This chapter is probably going to be the darkest in the story. Since Winter has hit rock-bottom, there is nowhere else to go but up, right?**

**I really hope I did good with the emotional bits. The first heart-to-heart between Flint and Winter and the end are the two parts that concern me the most. Something just didn't sit right with me for the first part, but I tried to explain why Winter was so attached to Flint in as realistic a way as possible.**

**The end, though, is something else. That part is important. I don't know why yet, but it is. Trust me on that. I'll find a way to make everything better, so don't worry about Winter. He'll be fine (I think). :P **

**What's more important is the troublemakers in the rainforest. What's up with that? What exactly are Glory and Deathbringer hiding? You'll have to wait until next time to find out. Give me two weeks, and I'll probably have it ready for you guys.**

**Until Next Time,**

**AdmiralCole22**


	6. Chapter 5

Dragons Change

**AN: This will be a long one, but there are a few things I need to clear up from the reviews.**

**First, THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO LEMONS. If that's all you're here for then you are going to be sorely disappointed. This story is rated T and the content will reflect that rating.**

**Second, Winter and Flint are not a gay couple. They are just extremely close friends/ brothers. You already know why Winter is attached to Flint. Flint, however, is a bigwings that lost his entire sib troop. Winter was the first dragon that tried to help him afterwards. Since he adopted Winter as his honorary sib, he's just as attached to Winter as Winter is to him. He doesn't want to lose Winter like he lost the rest of his sibs. I can tone the interactions down a little, but I can't get rid of them completely. There's a reason for that which will appear later in the story.**

**Third, When I was setting up the plot for this story, I had to make up a name for a tribe of shapeshifting dragons. I thought of several different names but settled on the name Changewing. I thought it sounded familiar, but I didn't remember why until it was mentioned in the reviews. The Changewings in this story are in no way related to the Changewings from HTTYD. Sorry for any confusion.**

**In this chapter is the second part of the Sum 41 songfic. Part 2, you ask? Yes, there is a part 2. This time it is Best of Me. The first part of the chapter is the resolution of the last, but the second part is where the plot really starts to take off.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. **

Chapter 5:

Winter sat in the clearing well after darkness had fallen. He was hurt, confused, but most of all, he felt regret. He had promised himself that he would change—that he would never again make the mistakes he had made in the past. He had failed.

What should he do? He couldn't go back to the village and face Moon or the accusing faces of his friends. Should he leave? _No. I can't keep running away. Then what?_ His thoughts were interrupted when he heard clawsteps coming his way.

He didn't turn to see who it was. They probably didn't even know he was there. If they did, they probably didn't care. If they did, he didn't want to see the angry glares that were doubtless being thrown his way. "There you are, Winter!"

Confusion once again made itself known to him. He didn't recognize the voice at first, but a small stream of fire lit up the area and a torch caught fire. It was Blaze. "What are you doing here? What do you want?" His voice was empty. Lifeless.

He kept his gaze forward but felt a sudden warmth on his side. She was sitting next to him, "I heard you've had a rough day." He looked away—trying to ignore her. "You don't have to say anything. You can just listen. When you didn't come back, Flint was worried and asked us to search for you. None of them wanted to, though."

Now he did look over at her. She looked sympathetic, "Is it because of Moon—because of what I did?"

She nodded. "You're starting to scare them, Winter. They think you might snap and hurt someone."

Winter's eyes opened in stark realization as Sunny's words from seven years ago echoed in his mind, "_Your behavior is starting to scare them. They said they're beginning to think you might do something drastic." _The similarity between what she had said back then and what Blaze had just said wasn't lost upon him. _My life has gone in a circle. I'm right back to where I started all of those years ago: No more friends—except maybe Flint and Blaze—no more home, STILL no tribe._

Blaze apparently didn't realize the impact her words had since she kept talking. "It'd be easier if you could just start over, huh? I heard about that weird Rainwing who could change himself into different dragons from Moon and Turtle. What if you—"

"No," he interrupted. Memories of what Scarlet had done to Hailstorm flashed through his mind. He had put on the Pyrite necklace, and the feeling of being 'not-himself' still haunted him. He wouldn't go through that again. He couldn't start again, and he WOULDN'T run away, so he would do the only thing he could.

He would fix his mistakes…again.

Determination started worming its way into him. He had run away before, and it had only brought him back to the beginning again. Now he HAD to change. More than that—he had a reason to change.

Running away from Jade Mountain and talking with Flint helped Winter bury his past. Now he would dig everything up. It was time to accept who he was. He was Winter, founder of Sanctuary, son of a mother that hated him, ex-prince of a tribe that hated him.

He never had a happy dragonet-hood, but he would never let anyone do what they had done to him again. _I am my own dragon. It's time to act like it. I shouldn't rely on anyone to make my decisions for me—not even Flint._ "I won't run this time. They think I can't change. I'll show them who I can be. I won't rest until all of my mistakes have been fixed."

Blaze smiled down at him, "You know, I think a dragon like yourself will need some help on this journey of yours." Winter gave her a questioning look, "You gave me a place to stay. You helped me when no one else would. I am at your service, Prince Winter." She dipped her head in a sign of respect.

Winter just stared at her dumbfounded. She was offering herself in service to him, but he wasn't a prince anymore. She knew that, so why was she acting like he was? "I'm not a prince anymore, Blaze. I gave up that title when I left my tribe."

Blaze looked back up at him, "Just because a dragon is hatched a noble doesn't mean he IS noble. The Icewings don't know what true nobility is. They don't know the true definition."

He had never thought about it like that, but she was right. His sister and cousin may have been royalty, but they were far from the best dragons could be. "What is the true definition, then?" Winter asked.

She didn't hesitate to reply, "You." Winter flinched in surprise. He wasn't expecting that. She smiled gently at his reaction, "Think about it…You were willing to give up your entire life for your friends—more than once. You're selflessness isn't a weakness, Winter, it's your strength. Your caring nature makes you more noble than anyone else that I know." She paused for a moment as she heaved a sigh, "I was never meant to be a good queen, I know that now. Maybe I can help you, though."

Winter got up after a few minutes had passed and started walking back to the village, so Blaze followed him, "Thank you, Blaze, for talking to me." She nodded at him happily. Once in the village, they split up and went to their respective huts. They had been set aside earlier, so they were ready to be slept in.

Winter sat in his hut thinking about how to fix all of his mistakes. His knew his anger was the first thing that had to go. As he thought about how to accomplish that, one of his conversations with Deathbringer came to mind.

_The month after Winter had arrived in the rainforest was filled with restless tension. The Nightwings would as soon kill him as look at him and the Rainwings were too lazy to do anything, so Winter's life had become a tedious, monotonous bore. He had nothing to do and no one to talk to._

_ One day had found Winter stalking the Rainwing village in a foul mood when he heard a voice above him, "You know you are much too tense. Maybe you should try meditation. I hear that helps with all kind of problems."_

_ Winter looked up to see a particularly smug Nightwing staring down at him with a smirk. Winter growled, "Get stuffed, Nightwing! I don't have time for any of your nonsense!"_

_ The Nightwing jumped down and feigned looking hurt, "Hey, I am ALL kinds of fun if you get to know me. Besides, if not for me, you probably wouldn't be here."_

_ Winter took another moment to observe the Nightwing and saw that it was Deathbringer. Winter wanted to claw that smug look off of his face but held himself in check. He remembered what had happened the last time they fought. The Nightwing hadn't exactly played fair when he tackled him from behind, but Winter knew how dangerous he could be. One doesn't become the most feared assassin in Pyrrhia for nothing. "What, do you have a contract on my head, or do you want something from me?"_

_ Deathbringer's face became more serious, "Look, Winter, I know the anger you're feeling right now is for yourself. I've been there before. You shouldn't take it out on those who only want to help you."_

_ Winter narrowed his eyes. This Nightwing didn't know anything about him. "What would you gain from helping me?"_

_ The Nightwing's expression softened, "This isn't the Ice Kingdom anymore, Winter. Not everything is a political ploy or scheme meant for raising one's rank. Some dragons just want to help."_

_ Winter looked down. That wasn't true, was it? Sure, his friends tried to help him whenever he needed it, but that was because they were friends, right? A stranger wouldn't just help him out of the kindness of their hearts. Nobody did that, did they? Why would they? They didn't gain anything from it. There was no reason to._

_ Was there?_

_ Apparently sensing his internal dilemma, Deathbringer spoke again, "I used to think that I was alone in the world, too, after my mother died. I thought I could carry that burden by myself. I thought that I didn't need anyone else. Then I met Glory." Winter looked up at him in confusion, "She showed me that everyone needs someone." He chuckled slightly, "Even the most dangerous assassin in Pyrrhia can get lonely from time to time."_

_ Winter wanted to believe him but found that he couldn't. His pride wouldn't let him. Winter's resolve strengthened, "I don't get lonely. I don't need anyone to look after me because I'm fine on my own."_

_ "Tell that to Moonwatcher," he replied immediately._

_ Winter's heart clenched as he looked down in shame. He was right. Of course the smug Nightwing was right. He was lonely. He DID want someone to be close with, but… "Why would anyone care about me?" he muttered._

_ Deathbringer put a comforting paw on Winter's shoulder. He glared at the offending appendage until it was removed with an exasperated sigh, "You can't keep doing this, Winter. All of this pain and self-hatred—it's going to kill you. You have dragons here who want to help you. All you have to do is let them."_

_ He sat there in deep thought for several minutes. Deathbringer didn't move from his spot while he awaited Winter's response. 'Maybe the Nightwing is right. I'm not a prince anymore. I'm not even a part of my tribe anymore. I should accept that…but it's just hard to. My life has always been about climbing the rankings. Now that I don't have to worry about that anymore, what am I supposed to do? I have no purpose.' Winter got up and started walking away before saying, "I need time to think."_

_ He didn't stay longer than that to hear Deathbringer's reply. The Nightwing appeared next to him suddenly to joke, "I was serious about the meditation, though. It might help." He disappeared again before Winter could say anything back._

_ He didn't know if he could move on, but he did know Deathbringer was right. He had to change in order to adapt to his new life._

He did adapt, too. He became closer with Deathbringer. He met Flint and had a bunch of crazy adventures with him like starting up the Sanctuary. Winter had been content—happy even—with his life up there.

Then Moon came knocking on his door and everything went to hell.

He didn't blame her, of course. She did what she had to do in a tough situation, and he'd be lying to himself if he hadn't been overjoyed to see her again. Then reality came crashing down around him. Now she hated him as much as he hated the Changewings for doing what they did to him and those he cared about.

When morning came, he tried going to apologize to Moon for everything, but Turtle and Kinkajou wouldn't let him even enter her hut. With the threat of Rainwing venom and animus magic aimed—quite literally in Kinkajou's case—at him, he decided on a different approach.

He had gotten into a fight with one of his friends before. Flint may have been acting when he stormed out when Winter had sung a song for him later at the festival, but it worked. Being an Icewing didn't leave much room for frivolous things like music, but Winter had found the he enjoyed singing at a young age. He had that beaten out of him, both literally and figuratively, as soon as his parents found out about it. Coming to the rainforest, though, had rekindled that interest.

Sure, it had been after an emotional outburst, but he had done it as a way to apologize to his friend. Music helped Winter express himself, so that's what he would do. He would write another song for her. If Winter's estimation of time was correct, there was just over a month until the Unification festival. It was perfect.

If he was going to do this, he knew he couldn't just sing a song and expect everything to go back the way it was. He had to put forth effort this time. A heartfelt speech right before wouldn't hurt, but it still wouldn't be enough. No, he had to prove to both Moon and himself that he was ready and willing to change.

He also couldn't let anyone know what he was doing and spoil the surprise. Not even Flint could know since he didn't have skyfire. He knew of a few good isolated spots to start his work, but he would need help performing and writing his song like last time. After a bit of asking around, he finally found Bromeliad and she was happy to help him perform once again.

Apparently, his performance was kind of legendary around the rainforest now. Every year the crowd would eagerly await a performance by the musically-gifted Icewing. Learning how everyone had been waiting to hear another one of his songs was enough to make Winter's head spin. HE made something that everyone loved. When she told him that some dragons tried to reproduce his song a few years ago, the crowd had booed them so much they were forced to leave the stage.

His song was just so good that they didn't want anyone else to try and play it._ That is awesome._ Papaya and Ginko were a little harder to track down, but they eventually found them. Just like Bromeliad, they jumped at the opportunity to play another one of his legendary songs.

For the next five weeks, the four of them would get together in Winter's secret spot about thirty minutes outside of the village and practice for three hours a day. Winter stayed there for the whole time. When he wasn't working on lyrics or music, he was meditating and contemplating on his life's choices for the rest of the time.

He made his three Rainwing friends promise that they wouldn't tell anyone where he was or what he was doing, and they had agreed. He hated doing this to his friends that still cared about him. Flint was probably worried sick about him, but Winter had to do this on his own.

He was an Icewing. He may not act like one all of the time, but he should at least try and learn to trust himself again like he used to. He had followed other's orders or trusted other's advice for as long as he could remember. First, his parents and siblings, then the dragons in his winglet at Jade Mountain, and finally, he had placed his trust and faith in Flint. While Flint was someone he would trust with his life, he shouldn't be the one to always to tell Winter what to do or how to do it.

This was his quest. He would rediscover what it truly meant to be Winter. He would reach inside himself and restoke the blizzard that was Winter. He was never meant to be meek. He was fierce. He could make his foes cower in the face of his fury. Like his name, though, there were two sides to him. He could also be gentle. He could make some of the most beautiful things the world could ever know. He was a force of nature—both fierce and gentle.

Now, it was time to start acting like it. That five weeks of meditation had been some of the most illuminating of his entire life. Deathbringer had been right. It did help—more than he would have ever thought possible. He felt like Prince Winter again but different…

He was more confident in himself. He was no longer trying to impress his parents or increase his rankings. His self-hatred and insecurities had significantly diminished in this time. It was still there, of course, it always would be, but he was stronger than he was before. He was the same Icewing as he was before he had left the Ice Kingdom with one major change…

For the first time in his life, Winter had a real purpose.

It made his heart feel lighter to know that. His time as a prince had all been a lie. How could he be a prince if both his family and his tribe hated him? The truth was that he hadn't been. The rankings, Jade Mountain, defeating Darkstalker, even Sanctuary hadn't given him the clarity this new purpose gave him. What was it, you ask? It was really quite simple.

He wanted to fix his mistakes. All of them. He wanted to mend the friendships that had dissolved since leaving Jade Mountain. He wanted a chance to prove to his tribe he wasn't as worthless as they thought he was—even if they never accepted him back. He just wanted a chance. Most of all, he wanted to find Qibli if he was still alive in order to reunite him with Moon.

That had been the most painful revelation. Maybe he and Moon had never been meant to be together. It was time to move on. She loved Qibli, and Qibli still loved her—if he was still alive, that is. Trying to steal Moon away was just…selfish. Honestly, he was disgusted at himself for even thinking to do it.

Killing 'Qibli' at the Sanctuary had been as much pride and arrogance as it was for wanting to save Moon and his friends. He had done it thinking that Moon might move on. That he would swoop in and rescue the damsel in distress and she would love him forever.

Bleh. Now he sounded like Turtle.

Moon was his friend. Though, now he understood that they were never meant to be more than that. It was hard for him to, but he eventually accepted this revelation. He would have to move on and find someone else to fall in love with. He and Moon…it just could never happen.

He would always care for her, though. He couldn't stop himself from caring about her. She was the first dragon he had fallen for. She was the first dragon who truly understood him. It was his own fault for pushing her away. Winter would tell Moon as much, too. He wanted her to understand that. If he wanted her to trust him again, he would have to tell her everything. He would have to tell her that he had moved on. That he had truly changed.

The first two days of the festival had come and gone and by the time night fell on the third day, he and his group were ready to perform. Bromeliad had signed his name on the roster for him since he didn't want to return until it was time. Just like last time, they would go last.

He just hoped Moon would still be out there watching when his moment came. Bromeliad had agreed to relay a message to Flint for Winter:

_Make sure everyone stays until the last performance._

_-Winter_

It was short, sweet, and simple. He just hoped they would listen to him. He knew Flint would pass the message around. He had to trust that he would gather everyone in time for the concert's last act.

Winter had entered the village after night had fallen. The others in his group were supposed to already be there waiting for him. Just like last time, there was a large platform where all the dragons would perform. Everyone who was about to perform were hidden behind a layer of brush so no one from the audience could know who was coming up next. Torches and moon globes lit up the clearing as well as all of the laughter and cheering from the audience could.

He sat on the sidelines, away from the audience and listened to those who were doing their performances. There was a lot more originals compared to the last time he was here, so he must have inspired more than a few dragons to try their claws at writing their own music. It made him smile to know that he had impacted so many dragons with his song. That same feeling he had had when he helped Blaze came back at that moment and Winter smiled.

Perhaps it was arrogant to think it was him alone that had contributed to this rise in popularity for original pieces, but he thought it anyway. Dragons had been making music for the longest time, but between the war and decades of uneasy peace or small skirmishes before that, there hadn't been many composers to create new music. There were some, but not as many as there were now.

After a few hours had passed, a small group of Seawings had left the stage and Queen Glory had taken the stage and made an announcement, "There is one last performance tonight, but he wishes to stay anonymous for now. Please wait while the group gets ready."

He could hear the hushed whispers. _Who is it? Why do they want secrecy? What kind of act is this going to be?_ Winter walked behind the platform and nodded to his three friends. Like before, Bromeliad went to the drums while Ginko took up a guitar. Papaya, however, made his way to the piano on the far side of the stage.

Winter waited until they were ready before grabbing the guitar that he had been using for the past few weeks and walked onto the stage. He heard a few startled gasps once the crowd saw who it was before breaking out in deafening cheers. Winter couldn't help himself, so he smiled and waved at the crowd. They had waited seven years for his encore performance. He wouldn't disappoint them.

He observed the crowd and noticed his cluster of friends near the back. _Good, they're all here._ All of them WERE there, in fact. Flint had made sure of that. He knew he probably deserved the slightly worried but mostly angry glares he got from Moon, Turtle, and Kinkajou, but it still hurt. He had hoped that his time away would mellow them a little bit. Flint and his other friends from Sanctuary looked more relieved then his old winglet did, it seemed. It was both better than he deserved and worse than he wanted.

He took a deep breath and held up his paw in order to silence the crowd. When the noise settled to a scattered murmuring, he spoke humorously, "I heard everyone liked my song last time." He got cheers and applause in return. He raised his paw again and the noise died down. He spoke once more, this time in a more serious tone, "Just like last time, I'm up here because I made mistakes. I hurt dragons who cared about me. I can never forgive myself for what I did and I don't expect them to forgive me either, but I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm sorry.

"I made a promise to myself that I would never make the same mistakes I did in the past. I was unable to keep that promise. Because of that, dragons that I care about got hurt. Now, I'm going to make a new promise to one specific dragon."

He paused and locked eyes with her, "Moon, if you truly think of me that way after tonight, then you'll never have to see me again." He saw her eyes widen in shock, but he continued, "I hope that I can redeem myself, but if I can't…" He trailed off before beginning again.

"But I'm sorry for yelling at you and for everything else that I did wrong. And you were right, I never looked for another way to handle the situation with Qibli. I thought I was willing to do it in order to protect you, but I wasn't. I was willing to do it in order to protect myself. I was thinking about myself and not about you. I hope you can forgive me. I hope ALL of you can forgive me. But since actions speak louder than words, I want to play a song for all of you."

Winter started playing his guitar while Papaya and Ginko provided the background vocals. Bromeliad kept up a steady beat on the drums. After a short introduction, he began to sing and the background vocals died off.

_It's so hard  
To say that  
I'm sorry  
I'll make everything all right_

_All these things  
That I've done  
Now what have  
I become, and where'd I go wrong?_

The background vocals started up once again. It added deeper emotions than the words themselves could. Dragons in the audience were beginning to rock back and forth to the steady rhythm of the song.

_I don't need to hurt just to put you first  
I won't tell you lies  
I will stand accused with my claw on my heart  
I'm just trying to say..._

Winter began playing his guitar louder as he poured all of his emotion into the song as Papaya made sonorous notes ring out from the piano.

_I'm sorry  
It's all that I can say  
You mean so much, and I'd fix all that I've done  
If I could start again  
I'd throw it all away  
To the shadows of regrets, and you would have the best of me_

There was a short break from the music as Winter held the last vocal before Ginko started up with his guitar and Bromeliad had a short solo on the drums. When the last drum beat of the solo was hit, the background vocals, piano, and Winter's guitar started playing a short musical break. He risked a glance over at his friends and noticed their disbelieving stares. None of them knew this side of him.

_I know that  
I can't take  
Back all of  
The mistakes but I will try_

_Although it's  
Not easy  
I know you  
Believe me 'cause I would not lie_

_Don't believe their lies told through jealous eyes  
They don't understand  
I won't break your heart; I won't bring you down  
But I will have to say..._

The music once again doubled. This was the climax of the song.

_I'm sorry  
It's all that I can say  
You mean so much, and I'd fix all that I've done  
If I could start again  
I'd throw it all away  
To the shadows of regrets, and you would have the best of me_

There was a long guitar solo here as Ginko cranked his guitar up to the max and now Winter was playing in the background. It had started as a slow and beautiful song, but now it had evolved into something much more. All of Winter's hopes, dreams, and fears were written into this solo. He took another glance at his friends and noticed that most of their expressions had softened. He might not be completely forgiven yet, but it was a start. When it was over, everything calmed down for the final part of the song. There were no drums or guitar. It was just the piano and Winter's voice.

_I'm sorry  
It's all that I can say  
You mean so much, and I'd fix all that I've done_

Winter started playing on the guitar softly. This was it. The final part of the song. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best._  
If I could start again  
I'd throw it all away  
To the shadows of regrets, and you would have the best of me_

The final line of the song became slightly slower and a small part of background vocals accompanied the final notes of the piece. It was over.

There were many things that Winter expected to see once he opened his eyes. He thought they might still be angry and his song was all for naught. He hoped he would see forgiveness on their faces like Flint had six years ago. He expected, however, a mixture of both. What he did NOT expect was seeing Moon on the ground in pain.

That's what he saw when he opened his eyes, though. He saw his friends grouped around her, making sure that she was alright as other members of the crowd near them tried to see what was going on. The deafening roar of the crowd's applause was suddenly replaced by fear as an explosion was heard in the distance.

More importantly, it came from the direction of the Nightwing village.

Several other dragons had shot into the sky including Moon, Queen Glory, and Deathbringer. Winter wasted no time in following them. It was a frantic few minutes as Nightwings, Rainwings, and his group of friends shot through the rainforest, trying to get to the village. Several possibilities of what he might see when he broke through the trees ran through his mind.

_Was anyone hurt? Did anyone get killed? How much damage is there? Who could have done this? Why would they do this? _These were but a few of the many questions running through Winter's mind as he neared the village. The sound of screams and crackling fire could be heard from the village as he got closer.

When he finally broke through the tree-line, Winter witnessed a scene that reminded him of the war. Fires burned through everything: trees, huts, shrubs…and more than one body. Nightwings who had come home early from the festival had expected a quiet night of relaxation. Instead they had found their deaths. Most of the bodies Winter saw as he strolled through the devastation were merely dragonets—only two or three years old. Some were even younger than that.

The sounds of grief rang through the night as dragons found their dead loved ones. A father crying over the body of his daughter, a wife crying over the body of her husband, a four-year-old dragonet—covered in burns—weeping over the motionless corpses of his parents.

Winter felt sick. _Was this what it was like in the war? How much pointless suffering was caused during those two decades of strife? How many died pointless deaths over such a meaningless cause?_

The smell of both fire and death hung in the air like a blanket. He saw Queen Glory calling out orders as tears slipped from her eyes. _These dragons were a part of her tribe, and she wasn't able to save them. How devastated must she feel right now?_ Deathbringer had been lost in the confusion and Winter couldn't pick out the assassin through the crowd of injured dragons and those who were trying to help.

Winter tried to help where he could. He put out several blazes with his frost breath and Turtle must have enchanted something because he was holding a stick that shot out a steady stream of water. The fire had been contained, but the devastation remained. He saw Flint through the smoke looking at him with the most pained expression he had ever seen on him before he looked to his left and walked away.

Winter slowly made his way to where Flint had been looking and saw something he never wanted to see. Moon was hunched over the body of a dead Nightwing, sobbing heavily over the corpse as his friends stood around her in silence. Even Kinkajou, the normally energetic Rainwing, was dappled both grey and white. The sight hurt her as much as it hurt him.

He took another long look at the Nightwing's body. It was an adult dragoness and through the burns looked an awful lot like…

A horrifying realization hit Winter like a sack of stones. _This is Moon's mother! Secretkeeper is dead! _More than a few of the gathered dragons were looking at him. He knew what they were thinking. They thought he could comfort her, that he could tell her everything was alright.

He wished he was that confident.

He slowly stepped forward and sat beside Moon in silence. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to comfort her? He had absolutely no experience with this kind of thing.

The silence was broken when Moon spoke, her eyes never leaving her mother's corpse, "I didn't understand." She looked up to him, her features morphing into those of rage while her voice remained carefully neutral, "Now I do. I want the bastards who did this to suffer as I suffer, and you're going to help me find them, Winter."

He nodded somberly. He had never seen Moon like this before. It was almost like— "I want revenge, Winter. If you want to redeem yourself like you said, then help me do this."

He nodded again, "I will. I'll even kill them for you once we catch them if you want me to." Her face softened as she looked up at him.

"I know you will," she whispered. She leaned over and rested her head on his left shoulder. Winter didn't think before draping his wing over her back and pulling her closer to him. She let out a quiet breath, "I forgive you."

_Thank you._

Their moment was interrupted when Queen Glory came up to them. Her face was contorted in fury, but when she saw the scene before her, she relaxed slightly, "Do any of you know what happened?"

Winter looked over to her without disturbing Moon and saw Turtle step forward. He was too far away and spoke too quietly for Winter to hear, but he saw a spiky ball thing in Turtle's claws. _Dragonflame cactus._ Moon shifted under his wing and looked down to her mother's body, "It's such a horrible way to die."

Her voice was quiet, and he was going to try to comfort her when Queen Glory asked, "Who has access to these?"

Memories of the Talons of Power came into Winter's mind. That was impossible, though, right? They had been obliterated within months after Darkstalker's disappearance so it couldn't be them. _Maybe…No, it couldn't be. Could it?_ "We don't know for certain, Winter," Moon spoke quietly.

_She's right. It would be best to not jump into conclusions. First things first, though._ "Has anyone used the tunnel between here and the desert?" He asked.

Glory stopped and thought for a moment, "I can't know for certain, but I'll ask around. Anything else we should look for?" Blaze and Turtle started briefing her on possibilities. Flint was still nowhere to be seen.

_We?_ He looked up and saw Deathbringer walk up. He noticed a flash of something on his left ear. _An earring? I don't remember seeing him wearing one earlier._ "He started wearing it after I told them the truth about what happened." Winter froze. He hadn't wanted to tell anyone the truth in case this happened. "I know, but I didn't want to lie to either of them."

"It's okay, I don't blame you." Moon once again moved. This time he retracted his wing since she moved away from him. Moon and the others started taking care of Secretkeeper's body, and Glory and her guards started helping others across the destroyed village. Winter walked up to the Rainwing Queen, and she shot him a curious look, "I'm going to find who did this." He spoke in a tone that warranted no argument.

"Winter—" she warned.

He stopped her with a wing. He noticed Deathbringer tense up and take a step towards him, so Winter shot him a glare. "You need my help. You would be a fool if you didn't accept it." Glory glared right back at him but didn't say anything for a while.

Eventually, she nodded, "Fine. Deathbringer will fill you in on the details."

"No. You will, and we'll be alone when you do," Flashes of red and orange went through the Queen's ruff, and she tried to speak but Winter interrupted once again. "The Changewings are not to be underestimated. I had hoped that they wouldn't be in the rainforest, but that seems like it might not be the case. As far as I'm concerned, you are the only one here I know that I can trust besides my group of friends."

She looked at him in thought, "How can you be sure that I can be trusted? I thought the Changewings could take anyone?"

Winter wasted no time in replying. If the information he got from Blaze, Sunny, and Stonemover was accurate, he knew the answer to her questions, "Because you are never alone."

He walked away after seeing the Queen's unsettled face. He felt bad for trying to scare her like that, but if it got the results that he desired, then he was content for now. He couldn't let the threat of a possible Changewing plot go unanswered. Until they knew for certain, it was better to overestimate their capabilities rather than underestimate them.

Winter and the Queen got together the next day to discuss possible suspects. There had been seven dragons that had either come from or been to the desert in the last four weeks. That was a good place to start, but it wasn't guaranteed that one of them were the one the sought. Or if there were others. Glory hadn't been happy when Winter had shared his suspicions about Deathbringer, but she eventually relented. She would keep an eye on him until they knew for certain.

Queen Glory gave out a decree that nobody was allowed to be alone. Everyone had to be in groups of three or more until the situation could be resolved. While met with confusion and slight panic, they didn't question their Queen's orders. Winter, Blaze, Moon, Turtle, and Flint had spent the rest of the day interviewing the seven suspects.

Winter prided himself on his observational ability, yet none of them seemed out of the ordinary. However, he had noticed that all of the Changewings or possible Changewings so far had worn some sort of jewelry. He wasn't sure if it was related, but he definitely wouldn't rule out the possibility.

Of the seven dragon, two had been Nightwings, one had been a Rainwing, three had been Sandwings, and one had been a Skywing. Two of the Sandwings, the Skywing, and a Nightwing had worn jewelry. Winter asked around and none of those they had spoken to had noticed anything different about them in the last few weeks. One Rainwing had informed them that the Nightwing had started wearing jewelry a couple weeks ago. She had been slightly embarrassed to say that he wore a ring that she had given him. They were due to be married.

Moon had likewise tried to glean information from the suspect's minds, but she was also unable to find anything. Four days of investigation had gotten nothing. Deathbringer was beginning to get suspicious of his bogus assignments and Glory was getting frustrated about not being honest with her husband.

Just when everything seemed lost, they had gotten a breakthrough. Moon had another vision during one of their brainstorming sessions. She had seen a Rainwing stealing eggs from the hatchery, so they took off to intercept. When they had gotten there, nothing had happened. There were no casualties and no eggs were missing, so they decided to do a stakeout. They put Kinkajou in charge of watching the hatchery interior while they took strategic, inconspicuous positions around the exterior.

They didn't have to wait very long for the Rainwing from Moon's vision to appear. He took over for one of the guards stationed outside before knocking out the other when no one was looking. He walked inside soon afterwards. Winter and Moon ran to the door and checked on the guard before walking inside. They heard a scream coming from deeper in the building and doubled their speed.

When they ran into the main room, they saw the potential thief clutching the center of his chest and screaming in pain as a small part of his chest was being dissolved by Kinkajou's venom. The others entered not long after, and Turtle took out his piece of flint upon seeing the scene in front of him. Winter and Flint held him down while Turtle healed his wounds.

Once done they dragged the thief out of the building as he kept trying to escape. At one point, he even shot Flint with some venom. Turtle was able to heal him, and they tied the Rainwing's mouth shut with some vines. Rainwings almost never used their venom. If this one was willing, there must have been something either desperately important going on that they didn't know about.

Or he wasn't really a Rainwing.

The Rainwing started smacking them with his tail at which point Flint had had enough and knocked him out with a blow to the black of his head. They dragged the unconscious dragon to the Queen's pavilion. Once she saw what was going on, she ordered everyone out.

Winter saw a frustrated look in Deathbringer's eyes, but once he saw Winter staring at him, gave off his signature smirk and left the pavilion. His suspicions were growing, but he couldn't attack or accuse Deathbringer without proof. Winter didn't want to believe that he could be one-Deathbringer was one of his old friends, after all-but he couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgement.

Winter and Flint tied the dragon down and the group waited until he regained consciousness. As they waited, Winter observed their prisoner. He looked to Queen Glory and asked, "Do you know him?"

She nodded mutely, "I do. It's Mangrove. One of my friends." She shook her head dejectedly, "I can't believe he's responsible for all of this destruction."

The name sparked recognition. _This is the Rainwing that knocked us out when we first came here!_ He KNEW that Rainwing had been acting suspicious. _I can't believe I didn't connect two and two together!_ He saw an earring he hadn't noticed before in his right ear. _They're smart. I only saw his left side in the healer's hut. He didn't want me to see it._

He reached for the earring as he looked at every dragon in the room: Glory, Moon, Kinkajou, Flint, Turtle, and Blaze, "What you're about to see doesn't leave this room, understood?" He got nods in response.

Then, he grabbed the earring and unclasped it from the dragon's ear. There were two reasons he didn't just yank it out. One, this might actually be Mangrove—despite how slim the odds were—and two, he wanted revenge, but he wasn't a sadist. He wouldn't inflict pain for pleasure, that's not the kind of dragon he was.

He felt a paw on his shoulder and saw Moon give him a look that said, '_I'm proud of you.'_ He nodded in thanks as the dragon's body started shifting after a few seconds. The tail grew shorter and its scales slid off and the underlying skin became stark white. Its body proportions shifted to where Winter couldn't tell if it was male or female. After about a minute had passed, the transformation was over. It looked exactly identical to 'Qibli.'

He heard the Queen gasp at the newly revealed Changewing. He had to admit that he was unsettled even after seeing it once before. It woke up not long after and saw the many hostile faces crowded around it. "My Queen? What's going on?" The voice was no longer Mangrove's, either. Even through its voice it was impossible to tell whether it was a male or female. It was like it had no real identity.

It stopped suddenly with a wide-eyed expression. It brought its claws up in front of its face and gazed at them in confusion. Next, it gazed at each of the assembled dragons before seeing its earing in Winter's claws. "I do believe that is mine."

Glory cleared her throat, "So you're a Changewing? You don't look like much."

"Neither do you, but I'm not rude enough to point it out…oh, wait." It smirked back at them. Glory's ruff flared orange again at the disrespect. "Don't be too offended. You're just not as…interesting as others." Its gaze settled on Winter for the briefest of moments before looking at Turtle, Moon, and Flint respectively.

Winter stepped forward into its view. _If I'm so interesting to it, maybe it'll answer my questions._ "Who are you? What's your name?"

"Mangrove," was the simple reply. Winter narrowed his eyes. "Ooh, you're angry, aren't you? I'm afraid I can't tell you my 'real' name because I don't have one. That's why you Pyrrhians are so interesting! Individuality is such an interesting concept, isn't it?"

Glory spoke up again, "Is that why you infiltrate us? To get your own identity?"

'Mangrove' looked like he was struggling not to laugh, "Noooo! Why would I want my own identity? It's soooo boring being unique!" It got serious all of a sudden, "The actual answer to your question is this: Your tribes are weak. Your individuality is weak. You are but savages compared to us, so we will bring order to the chaos of your world." It smirked.

There was a hushed silence in the room. The prospects of what this Changewing was saying were horrifying. There could be Changewings in every tribe in any position of power. The Sandwings were already completely compromised and the Icewings probably weren't far behind. Even the Rainwings and Nightwings were beginning to fall prey to their regime.

Was nowhere safe?

"What happens to those that you take the form of? What do you do to them?" Moon asked. Her voice and expression were carefully guarded.

The Changewing shifted its gaze to her, "I must keep a few secrets, right? I can't spoil everything! That wouldn't be any fun!"

Turtle spoke to Moon in a whisper and her face lit up soon afterward in realization. She walked over to Winter and sat beside him. "Are there others here in the rainforest?"

It thought for a moment before answering, "A few more. The blockade makes it a bit harder for us to get in but it's not impossible. Hooray for you! Your spontaneous decision actually had a good consequence, Glory!"

"What are their names?" was Moon's immediate counter. The Changewing smirked at her but didn't speak. Everyone waited with bated breath for Moon's mind-reading to get the answer.

After a few moments, Moon smirked back, "I got them all, guys! All of the names!"

"That's impossible!" It cried out, "My thoughts are protected!" Glory turned to Moon with a questioning look while Moon looked mighty pleased with herself. Realization hit the Changewing like a stone, "Impressive! I didn't take you for the clever sort! Though I don't see why knowing that helps you?"

Moon stepped forward and brought her face up to its and spoke so the whole room could hear her, "If your powers protect you from mine, then it's probable that mine protect me from yours. That's why I wasn't taken. 'Qibli' had every opportunity to change me since we were often alone, but he couldn't. That's why he made my life a living hell instead. If this is true, animus dragons should be safe, too." She backed up and sat beside Winter once again, "I've gotten what I need. Kill it."

Winter looked down to her, momentarily stunned, before composing himself, "Are you sure there's nothing else you need? It's likely that this will be the only Changewing prisoner we'll ever get." She looked to him with narrowed eyes and a dangerous expression that all but said _'If you don't kill it, I won't forgive you.'_

Winter glanced at each of the dragons gathered. His friends were worried about him. Killing 'Qibli' was bad enough, but he had been attacking the Sanctuary and all of the dragons there. Killing this prisoner, though, would be cold-blooded murder. He promised Moon, though.

He always kept his promises.

The Changewing's smirk was replaced by terrified struggling as Winter stepped forward. Winter put his claws on either side of its head, "NOOO! PLEASE, DON'T! DO—" An audible snap echoed through the room as its neck was broken and the body slumped to the floor. Winter closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

This moment would haunt him for a long time. When he opened his eyes, the stunned shock written on the faces of all of the dragons present met his gaze. Turtle and Kinkajou were understandably appalled by what they had just witnessed. It's not everyday you witness one of your old school chums kill a defenseless prisoner.

Blaze looked like she was about to be sick. Winter couldn't blame her. The sound of the snap still echoed in his mind. Queen Glory was looking at him with a guarded expression. After what he did, Winter could be considered one of the most dangerous dragons in the room. Moon could read minds and Turtle was an animus, but neither of them would kill a dragon like he had just done.

Moon was looking at the body with a mixture of disgust and morbid fascination. _I did this for you, Moon. I'll keep doing it if you want me to, but is this what you really want?_ She looked to him out of the corner of her eye and gave off a barely perceptible nod. _Very well. I won't let you down._ Her expression softened slightly and she looked away from him.

Flint's look was what troubled him the most. He was looking at the body of the Changewing and appeared as if he was trying to hold back tears. Flint looked up to Winter as a single tear fell from his eye and uttered a single word, "_Why?"_ He wasn't able to respond because Flint turned and walked out of the room without another word. _First, he had that strange expression at the Sanctuary and now this._ That's when he remembered the conversation with him before the fiasco with Moon. _What was he going to tell me?_

He felt a gentle paw on his shoulder and heard a familiar voice say, "He's probably just worried about you."

"I know. Thanks, Blaze." He looked over to her, "Are you okay?" She hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"What now?" Winter turned to see Glory approaching him, "How do we find the others and what happens when we do?" Her face was carefully neutral, but her voice had a slightly hard edge, "Are you going to kill them, too?"

"If I have to," was his reply. "I hope you can understand why."

She looked to him and nodded. When she spoke, her voice was softer, "I understand wanting to protect your friends, Winter, but to go as far as this?" She gestured to the dead body, "If you are willing to kill a defenseless prisoner, what else would you be willing to do? When would you realize you went too far?" She put a paw on his shoulder, "There's a fine line between justice and revenge. I know you want to avenge your friend and Moon's mother, but don't lose yourself in the killing. That's how monsters like Scarlet and Blister are made."

Winter nodded. He would remember her advice, but first thing first, "What do you want to do now, Moon? How can we find the others?"

She looked down in thought before whispering, "Beware the dragons who change." She looked up into his eyes with fierce determination, "We need help. We need someone who knows about Changewings, and I already know who."

Winter looked around at the confused expressions. Turtle, apparently, was the first to understand because he went rigid. When Kinkajou asked, he told her and she also froze up in disbelief. _What do they know that I don't?_ "Who?" he asked.

Moon looked at him intently before speaking, "Darkstalker."

**AN: DUN DUN DUUUUN! YES! Darkstalker will be in this story, too! Plot twist after plot twist, am I right? When will he stop!?**

**NEVER!**

**Have I kept you guessing? I hope so. This was a fun chapter to write which is why it is out a week earlier than I said. I should really stop overestimating the time it takes to write these chapters, huh? **

**So what did you guys think? I feel kind of bad for killing Secretkeeper, but it does give the story another plot point to exploit. Now we've got angry Moon. She wants revenge and Winter doesn't want to disappoint. What could possibly go wrong?**

**We've also got some new information about the Changewings. How that will turn out will be revealed later.**

**If there is any character you want to see-or see more of-in this story, send me a review to request them. Canon only for right now please. If I need some OCs, I'll let you know. There are a few that I've already got lined up, but I want to see what you guys say.**

**In other news, I have a short story that I'm going to publish in a few days that will give you extra insight as to what's going to happen in chapter six. If you don't read it, you might be a little confused as to what will take place next chapter. It will be a rewrite of the end of Darkness of Dragons where Darkstalker eats the strawberry. I guess it makes this story slightly AU but not by much. More on that when I upload it.**

**I honestly don't know how long the next chapter will take. I'm going to say a week for now, but if I can't make that deadline, I'll put a notice at the top of the prologue to give you guys a status update.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	7. Chapter 6

Dragons Change

**AN: Well I'm three days late uploading this. Then again, I was a week early submitting the last chapter, so they balance each other out, right?**

**No?**

**Okay.**

**I know last chapter I said I would tone down the interactions between Flint and Winter but I kind of cranked it up for this chapter. It's like the apex of their relationship with one another. That sounds kind of weird but I don't know how else to describe it. This should be the last one for a while, though.**

**Also, I just wanted to say HOLY CRAP!: This story now has over 1500 views. I don't know if that's a lot for this category, but it seems like a lot to me. Especially since I published this just under 2 months ago. Thank you-all of you-for the continued support! It means so much to me that this story has been so well received! You guys are just awesome!**

**In other news, NO FLASHBACK IN THIS CHAPTER.**

**I know, right? I didn't think it was possible either, but I just couldn't find a place to put one. I'll have to put two in the next chapter. XD**

**Due to a certain reviewer-you know who you are-I've been thinking about potential character themes for the story. I've got four so far. More on that below.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OC Flint belongs to me as do the Changewings. If you want to use them in your own story, please ask first. I honestly don't know how this stuff works, so no offense intended if this is wrong. **

Chapter 6:

The silence and tension that filled the room after the utterance of _his_ name was suffocating. Every face in the room had gone pale at the implication except one.

Winter's expression shifted from one of confusion to utter hostility in mere seconds. A low growl escaped his throat. _I thought he was gone for good!_ When he spoke, it was quiet and full of barely suppressed rage, "Darkstalker!? The dragon that almost wiped out my tribe? The dragon that tried to kill Turtle and his sister?" He gestured to said Seawing in emphasis, "The dragon who wanted to enslave or kill every dragon on Pyrrhia!? THAT DARKSTALKER!?"

He had yelled the last question, but Moon didn't even flinch. She merely raised her head and looked down her snout at him imperiously, "Yes."

"Why!?" He snarled.

"I gave you a third chance. Why shouldn't he get one, too?" She smiled sweetly at him, but her voice and eyes held a shimmer of something else—something he couldn't quite place.

Winter's eyes momentarily widened in surprise before he narrowed them dangerously and took a step toward her. Now he was standing directing in front of her and glaring down at the slightly smaller Nightwing, "You're comparing ME to DARKSTALKER?"

She looked past him at the body of the dead Changewing before looking at Winter once again, "It seems to me that you two aren't so different after all. You're both willing to kill for what YOU think is right." Her smile shifted into a devious grin.

Shocked gasps sounded around the room, and Moon started glaring at each of them in turn. Winter knew what they were thinking because it was the same thing he was thinking. The death of her mother had been too much for her to handle. Now, Winter knew exactly what that shimmer was. It was madness.

Moon had snapped.

Glory and the others tried to intervene, but Moon had had enough, "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! YOU'RE NOT MY QUEEN! YOU HAD ONE JOB, BUT YOU COULDN'T EVEN PROTECT HER!" She shifted her gaze to Turtle, "AND YOU! WHAT GOOD IS AN ANIMUS IF YOU COULDN'T STOP HIM!?" Then she started whirling around looking at each of them in turn, "WHY ARE ALL OF YOU SO WORTHLESS!?"

"MOON!" Winter tried to get her attention and she whirled around to him. She started screaming at him about how he was a failure, how he was a coward, why nobody liked him. Her tirade dragged on for minutes as Winter had an inner turmoil with himself. _Is that how she always felt or is it just the madness talking? Is she right? What do I do?_

After almost five minutes of constant yelling, she had taken a breath and was about to start again when something happened that no one had ever in their wildest dreams expected. It was sudden, and it was without warning. A loud smack echoed across the room followed by more startled gasps as Moon's face suddenly snapped to the left. She knew what had happened just like he and everyone else who saw did.

Winter had just slapped Moon.

He was horrified at what he had just done. He felt even worse when she turned back to look at him with wide, disbelieving eyes as she touched the side of her face with her paw. He didn't want to look, but he couldn't bring himself to turn away. He didn't want to see the expressions of the others in the room.

Winter was many things: prideful, arrogant at times, loud, sometimes he was so rude it could be considered borderline cruel, but never in a million years did Winter think he was the kind of dragon who would slap a female.

The silence in the room was deafening. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. It seemed everyone was holding their breath after what they had just witnessed. Then Moon's eyes hardened once again, and Winter's face snapped to the side when she slapped him back. He blinked in disbelief. "Okay, I might have deserved that," he said as he turned back to look at her and said matter-of-factly, "But you deserved it, too."

He thought it was kind of stupid to say that. He was trying to cover his tail after what he did. He wanted everyone to think he was justified, but there was a mind reader sitting in front of him and he didn't have his skyfire on. So, what was the point?

He sang a song begging for her forgiveness, comforted her when her mother was killed and earned it, killed a defenseless dragon to cement it, and then slapped her and lost it. _The things I do for this dragoness._ His attention returned to her when she spoke lowly, "If you EVER do that again—"

"You'll what?" He interrupted. "Get someone else to kill me? Because I know you won't do it yourself and get your claws dirty! You always have someone else do it for you! So who will it be? Will it be Turtle? Kinkajou? Darkstalker…he'd probably be more than happy to do it."

She looked away and growled slightly before stalking out of the room. No one dared follow her. Winter looked down and heaved a heavy sigh after a moment. Everyone gathered around him to comfort him. It seemed like they thought he was in the right…for now.

Kinkajou was the first. Tears spilled from her eyes as she cried over what her friend had become—her earlier anger at him momentarily forgotten. He brought her into a hug to which she shivered slightly at his touch. She pulled away shortly after.

Turtle and Blaze both tried to console him. They told him comforting things like, "You did the right thing" and "She needed to hear all of that." If only he felt the same way.

Glory was the last. She brought him into an awkward hug to which they pulled back from seconds later. She cleared her throat to hide her embarrassment, "Sorry. I don't usually do stuff like that, but I thought…" She trailed off before starting again, "Anyway, I know what you were trying to do, but was that the right way to do it?"

He shook his head, "I don't know. I've never seen Moon act like this. She…She reminds me of me when I first went to Jade Mountain. She's broken on the inside but doesn't want others to see it, so she hides it with anger."

She looked at him concernedly, "Can we help?"

He nodded. Of course, Glory would be worried about one of her subjects, but it was more than that. Her and Moon were friends, too. "I'll talk with her later when she's calmed down a little. It'll hurt—for both of us—but I think we need it." He paused, remembering the look on Flint's face, "I need to find Flint first. I need his support on the journey ahead—especially if Darkstalker is going to be involved."

She patted his shoulder gently to reassure him before walking off. Turtle, Kinkajou, and Blaze were all looking to him but turned and walked out when he motioned with his head towards the door. When they left the pavilion and nobody was listening, Winter whispered, "Can you guys do me a favor and watch out for Deathbringer?"

"What for?" Kinkajou asked. Turtle nodded in agreement to her question.

"If my suspicions are right, he might be compromised. We should—" Winter was interrupted when Turtle stopped. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Did anyone else notice that we didn't get a confession out of the Changewing? We know he was trying to steal an egg, but do we know for sure if he caused the explosion?" Everyone stopped and looked between each other. Apparently, they HAD noticed.

Winter facepalmed when he realized Turtle was right, "Son of my mother! I was so focused with helping Moon that I didn't even stop to think about that!" He sighed, "Another thing that I screwed up!"

"Winter, you can't keep blaming yourself for everything that you do wrong." He looked up to see Kinkajou step closer to him and smile, "That's what we're for!"

He rolled his eyes. _Gee thanks._ Turtle stepped up and nudged Kinkajou out of the way, "I think what she means is that no one is perfect, Winter. Everyone makes mistakes. It's understandable for someone in your position."

Winter looked at him and spoke in a slightly defensive tone, "What do you mean by that?" He felt a wing drape over his shoulders and look to see Blaze looking down at him and smiling.

Before he could ponder or ask what she was doing, she spoke, "You're in such a delicate position, Winter. You're trying to balance everyone's needs and wants without taking a break to look after yourself. Not to mention this whole Changewing situation. Speaking of which: Why would anyone want to look so—so…plain?" She paused and looked down for a moment before shaking her head slightly and starting again, "I think if anyone else was in your position, they wouldn't be able to handle all of the pressure like you have. You're just w—I mean you're DOING just wonderful!" She looked away somewhat embarrassed.

Winter blinked a few times before getting up. Blaze's wing was retracted and they split up to do their separate jobs. Blaze, Turtle, and Kinkajou would watch Deathbringer—and any other suspicious characters—while Winter went to find Flint. His mind was spinning, though. _Was Blaze about to say that I was wonderful?_ He blinked in slight surprise._ Was she FLIRTING with me!? Surely not, right? _He mentally and physically sighed.

_Why is my life so complicated?_

Winter put all of that aside as he walked through the rainforest floor. He needed to find Flint but had no idea where to start. He tried talking to a few dragons that he passed and asked them if they had seen a distraught Mudwing go by. He received a few strange looks from the Rainwings for asking. At first, he thought of another reason before he realized that he—technically—wasn't supposed to be alone._ Too late for that now._

**AN: Pardon the interruption, but if you want the maximum effect for the coming scene, I recommend playing Farewell Life by Nights Amore. It might not line up correctly with the end of the scene if you're a slower reader. If you are a slower reader: either wait a few paragraphs before playing it or rewind the music to the beginning after about a minute or so. Okay, sorry, back to the story.**

After almost an hour of searching he found Flint doing the last thing he expected. He was digging a hole outside of the village. When he saw the piece of rock standing up on one side, he realized it wasn't just a hole. Flint was digging a grave. "Flint?"

Flint stopped but didn't turn around. He climbed out of the hole before sitting down and taking a breath. He was silent for several moments before speaking, "I'm waiting for your answer."

It took a moment for Winter to realize what he meant before he remembered what he had asked when he left the Queen's pavilion. He had asked 'why.' He honestly didn't know the real reason. He had a few but didn't think Flint would like any of them. Revenge? Justice? Moon's forgiveness? "I don't know." He said plainly.

An audible crack was heard as soon as Winter spoke. When Winter looked, he saw that Flint had punched the tree next to him and that there was a decent sized chunk missing from the trunk. Sometimes Winter forgot how strong Flint really was. A single punch like that would likely cave in a dragon's ribcage. Flint spun around suddenly and yelled, "DAMNIT, WINTER! THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

Winter flinched back in both shock and surprise. He had never seen Flint this angry before. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever seen Flint angry, period. Frustrated, sure, but never really angry. Winter knew he had to say something, so he asked, "Why is it so important to you? Why would you care if I killed the dragon who hurt innocents?"

Flint shook his head and spoke in a worried voice, "That's what scares me, Winter. You just killed a defenseless dragon and don't have a single shred of regret for it! That's NOT who you are!" Flint stopped suddenly and looked at Winter. The amount of pain and hurt he could see in Flint's eyes was staggering, "Or is it?" He whispered.

Winter was speechless. No, he didn't regret killing that Changewing. He COULDN'T. Especially if he had to do it again sometime later. That didn't make him a bad dragon, did it? Was it bad to kill a dragon who had done worse?

Flint didn't let Winter reply before he started speaking again, "I've been by your side for six years, Winter, and never once did I think you were this kind of dragon. What happened at Sanctuary was understandable. You did what you had to. This, though? Is her forgiveness more important to you than your morals?"

Winter had put his mask on when Flint had finished and stared at him in thought. Winter had always trusted Flint's counsel. Normally, he would bend over backwards—figuratively—to do what he suggested. After his five weeks of solitary contemplation, however, Winter was less inclined to follow others blindly. For better or worse, Winter was making his own decisions now. "Things are different now, Flint."

Flint flinched slightly in surprise before his anger returned, "How are things different!? The only thing different around here is how you've been acting! If I didn't know any better, I'd think YOU were a Changewing!"

At Flint's implication, Winter's temper flared as well, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF BEING COMPARED TO THE EVIL ONES!" Winter closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, his anger disappearing as suddenly as it had surfaced, "Not everything is black and white anymore, Flint. There's a lot more grey in our world now. There will be situations where there is no right solution…only a better one."

Flint's anger disappeared as quickly as Winter's did, but he still had an accusing tone, "Does your 'better solution' mean killing innocent dragons?" Winter tried to open his mouth to speak, but Flint cut him off, "Don't bother answering, I know what you're going to say. What they did is wrong. I know that. But an entire tribe shouldn't be judged by the actions of a small group. Some of them might be good. We can't know for certain."

Winter seized on this opportunity, "You're right. We CAN'T know for certain. I'm inclined to believe that they're all murdering, egg-stealing, terrorist bastards. It will take a lot more than mere words to change my mind on that."

Flint looked down and shook his head before speaking quietly, "You're sounding more and more like an Icewing, and it scares me, Winter." He looked up suddenly with a hard edge to his eyes, "I thought you were different, but you're no better than the Icewings who killed my sibs simply because they were Mudwings."

Winter's breath left him in a rush as he recoiled back in shock. Flint got up and started walking away but stopped at the tree-line, "Prove me wrong," was all he said before leaving. Winter just sat there and felt as if he had been hurt worse than if Flint had physically punched him. The one dragon that was willing to sacrifice himself to make Winter happy had just turned his back on him. _AHHHH! WHY IS MY LIFE SO COMPLICATED!?"_ He mentally screamed.

In Flint's case, what he had said to Winter was the worst insult imaginable. Icewings had killed his troop in the Great War, and Flint hated them for it. The reason he and Flint were so close to begin with was that Winter didn't act like one. Winter actually cared about the other tribes since he no longer had one of his own.

It seemed like every step he took trying to help Moon, the farther he and Flint drifted apart. Then again, if he tried to close that distance with Flint, Moon might drift away from him. Making a choice would be inevitable. He couldn't please them both, especially with Moon acting the way she was. It only took a second's thought before he knew who he would pick.

He stood and dashed into the forest in the direction that Flint had gone. It didn't take him long to find him since he hadn't left but a few minutes ago. When he found him, Winter ran in front of him and blocked his path. Flint's glare never left his face as he looked at this new obstruction in his path. Winter was fully aware that Flint could easily plow over him and he couldn't do anything to stop him, so it was a relief when Flint actually stopped.

"I'm sorry!" He blurted out. Winter mentally facepalmed himself. THAT didn't sound desperate at all. He sighed. Winter was never very good with talking about his emotions. Flint was the one dragon that it was easier with, but it still wasn't an easy thing to talk about. It was hard for Winter to talk about his insecurities or fears. It was hard for anybody, of course, but in this moment, Winter couldn't find any words to say.

Flint raised an eye ridge, "Is that all you wanted to say, or…"

Winter shook his head and looked down in shame. Thoughts, emotions, feelings, and events from the past few days caught up with Winter in a rush in that moment. He had spent five weeks away from the troubles of the world because he thought it would make everything easier.

It hadn't.

After returning to real life with a new attitude, Winter had been cruelly smacked down by the whims of fate. The sounds and smells of the burning Nightwing village resurfaced in his mind followed by the sight of the destruction and dead dragons. Moon's behavior and the constant stress of their investigation had followed. He still hadn't spoken to Flint much in that time, either. All of his attention had been focused on Moon. Then, the events in the Queen's pavilion entered his mind.

The sounds of the Changewing's pleas for mercy, the feel of its helpless struggling beneath him and then the sudden stillness as its neck shattered underneath the pressure of Winter's claws, the silence that followed, but most of all, the look on Flint's face when he had seen what Winter had done—it was all engrained in his mind.

He couldn't stop the tears that sprang up from the sudden rush of memories, and he didn't really want to. This dragon had been willing to do anything for him, and he just brushed him aside for his own selfish purposes. What had he ever done to deserve a dragon like Flint in his life? Winter was selfish, rude, and he always thought of himself before others. Why then did Flint stick around? Flint was the exact opposite of Winter. He was selfless, kind, caring, and he always thought about others before himself.

That's when the truth reared its ugly head. He didn't deserve someone like Flint by his side. At this realization, sobs began to accompany the steady stream of tears falling from his eyes. When he felt Flint bring him into a comforting embrace, the sobs came harder. Even now, when Flint was angry with Winter, he was still willing to set that aside in order to help the one he cared about.

At this point the battle with his emotions was a losing one, so he simply surrendered himself to the pain, sadness, confusion, and loneliness in his heart, "I—I don't d-deserve y-you," he whispered.

Flint tightened his hold on Winter and spoke quietly, "Yes you do. You deserve me more than anyone." A small wet spot started forming on top of Winter's head where a small amount of Flint's own tears began falling. "You know you make me very proud. I remember what you were like when we first met, and I've seen how much you've changed for the better since then." He stopped to take slightly shaky breath, "No one deserves the kind of life that you lived, Winter. I'm so sorry you had to live through all of that. Every time I see you like this, it hurts because I know who you could've been. You're smart, caring, and talented and you could've been so many things, but they ripped that away from you."

He pulled back to look into Winter's face as more and more tears began to fall from each of their faces, "I'm sorry for what I said, okay? I don't care if we're from different tribes, Winter, you are my brother and I love you. I won't ever leave your side, no matter what." Flint once more pulled Winter into his embrace.

After much struggling, Winter was able to choke out, "With everything that's happening, I'm being pulled in so many directions at once, and I—I don't know what to do!"

Flint nodded, "I know. I just don't want to see you turn into the kind of dragon I know you hate. I'm just trying to protect you—even from yourself."

Winter was the one who pulled back this time. His eyes were still full of tears, but the sobs had subsided for now. He looked down at the ground as he spoke, "Moon means—meant—a lot to me," He looked up into his brother's eyes as he continued, "But I would never choose her if it meant losing you, Flint."

Flint smiled genuinely at Winter's choice before laughing slightly to lighten the mood, "Look at us being so sappy! Some dragons might get the wrong idea if they saw us like that."

Winter snorted in amusement, "Geez, Flint, you've got a dirty mind."

Flint's comeback was immediate, "I don't have a dirty mind, I have a sexy imagination!" They both just looked at each other for several moments before breaking out in uproarious laughter.

When the laughter died down, the atmosphere became more serious as the two brothers sat in the other's company. Flint was the first to break the silence, "What did I miss after I left?"

Winter thought for a second before replying, "Not much. Moon went crazy, Darkstalker is most likely about to be revived. Oh! And Blaze was flirting with me."

When he looked over to Flint, he had a wide-eyed expression, "Not much!? Wait…Blaze was flirting with you?" He asked in disbelief.

Winter raised his eye ridge, "All of that and that's the thing you're worried about?"

Flint just shrugged, "It's just surprising that's all." Then out of nowhere, he said, "You should totally get with her."

Winter choked on air, "WHAT!? You do realize she's like…," he stopped for a second to calculate, "…twenty-five years older than me, right?"

Flint smirked at his flustered tone and the slight blush visible on Winter's face, "Yeah, well, she's one of the most beautiful dragons on Pyrrhia according to some. Frankly, I'm surprised she's still single." He looked down in thought before shaking his head, "Anyway, joking aside, what are we going to do now?"

_He said 'we.' That means he's with me._ Winter took a breath before replying. _He's probably not going to like this, but, _"I need to speak with Moon." At Flint's skeptical look, he elaborated, "I wasn't kidding when I said she went crazy. The death of her mother was too much for her to handle and she started yelling at everyone. Then, she started yelling at me and I kind of, sort of, probably, but most definitely…slapped her."

Flint blinked a few times before opening his mouth to speak. When nothing came out, he shut it and opened it once again, "Oh," was his simple reply. After a moment, he asked the question that Winter was silently dreading, "What will you do if she wants your help again?"

"I don't know," was his truthful reply. "I want to be able to help her, but I'm not willing to pay the price," he said as he looked to Flint. He shook his head, "In any case, we need to stop her from releasing Darkstalker. If that _monster_ is freed, the Changewings will be the least of our problems."

Flint nodded his head, "I'm afraid I have to agree with you on that. I want to help find the ones responsible for the explosion as much as you but releasing Darkstalker seems…excessive." With that Flint got up and motioned for Winter to follow, which he did. "Any idea on where to start looking for her?"

Winter shook his head, "No. I wasn't there when they took care of him. I have no idea where he is or what they did to him." They walked in silence back towards the village in thought. "We could ask around?"

Flint nodded in agreement, "That seems like the only real thing we CAN do. Should we split up?" Winter shook his head. Flint seemed to understand since he didn't say anything else after that.

After about an hour or so of searching, it was beginning to get dark. They had asked around but couldn't find any solid answers on where she might be. In the end, they decided to rest for the night and pick up again in the morning.

When Winter entered his hut, he laid on his bed and began to fall asleep when he felt something tickle his ear. He didn't pay any more attention to it until it happened again…and again…and again. Something was dripping on him.

He opened his eyes and looked up to try and find the cause of the dripping, but he couldn't see into the dark shadows of the ceiling. The moon globe tree cutting wasn't far from his hut, so he decided to go pick one in order to solve the mystery of the dripping roof. When he got to the tree, he picked a moon globe, and was about to turn away when something caught his eye. One of the drops that fell on his foreleg was red.

_Three moons, no! That can't be what I think it is!_ He ran back to his hut with the moon globe following him over his shoulder. He looked up immediately after entering and saw something he wished he had never seen. A Seawing corpse was suspended from the ceiling—its face contorted in terror as blood dripped from a deep gash on its throat. Winter was already terrified from the sight, but he became even more so when he realized who this Seawing was.

It was Swordfish.

Winter was almost hyperventilating by this point. Someone had killed his friend and strung him up on his ceiling as a message…or a warning. The huts weren't big. Two dragons could sit in one comfortably, but beyond that it became a little cramped. He knew there was no one else in here waiting for him, but it also meant he was able to see the writing on the wall. It was written in blood. It said: _Stop hunting or be hunted._

He didn't even think about what to do next; he just ran out of his hut to get help from the only dragon that came to mind. As he ran through the dark rainforest, his terrified mind began playing tricks on him. Every shadow cast by the moon globe was an assassin waiting for him, every snap of a branch was an assassin stalking him. It didn't help that the screaming howler monkeys sounded like dying dragons. Even after all of this time, it was still disconcerting to listen to.

It took only a few minutes for him to reach his destination. He tried to stop, but his velocity and inertia were too great, and he slid into Flint's hut and ended up landing on top of him. Flint grunted and looked up to see who it was and blinked in surprise upon seeing Winter's terrified face, "Winter? What's wrong?"

It took several seconds for Winter to calm down enough to speak, but when he did, it was in a whisper, "Swordfish is dead."

Flint was wide awake after that quiet utterance and said, "Show me." On their walk back to Winter's hut, Flint was sounding the alarm—so to speak. In reality, he was yelling at the top of his lungs and hoping dragons would wake up and see what in the moons' name was going on.

Blaze, Titan, Flare, Raven, Turtle, Kinkajou, even Queen Glory and several guards who were with her came to see what the fuss was about as curious and furious bystanders looked upon the scene. There was no sign of Moon, though. Then again, Deathbringer wasn't there either.

Most of them—especially the Queen—weren't happy about being woken up at this late hour, but when they heard and understood the situation, they became a lot more serious. Upon arriving at Winter's hut, the Queen went in to see the body and came back slightly unsettled. She ordered two of her guards—Nightwings, both of them—to go in and cut the body down.

When Swordfish's body was carried out and brought into the torch light, Titan and Flare began grieving the loss of yet another friend. Flint was trying to comfort both them and Winter, but he too was upset at his friend's death. Kinkajou and Turtle didn't really know him that well, so they politely stepped back and remained silent. Oddly enough, Raven seemed to have disappeared.

Blaze, though, had the most interesting reaction. She was staring at the wound on his neck while simultaneously touching the scar on hers. It didn't take long for Winter to connect the dots. Blaze's scar was caused by an identical weapon that killed Swordfish—a chakram. Chakrams were an assassin's weapon of choice for mid to long-range kills. The wound of Blaze's neck was from Deathbringer's failed attempt to kill her, and if they were similar, and Deathbringer wasn't here…

Apparently, Glory had come to the same conclusion as Winter because she sat next to him and sighed heavily, "You were right, Winter. I should have listened to you." He could see the pain evident on her face. She loved Deathbringer and to find out that he had been replaced by a Changewing must have been hard to accept. Nobody knew what happened to the victims. No bodies had been found yet, so Winter held out some form of hope. As time passed, however, and more and more of his friends began disappearing…that well of hope was beginning to run dry.

"Believe me, I wish I wasn't. He was my friend, too," he spoke quietly so none of the others would hear. Flares of grey began showing on the Queen's scales. This fierce tempered dragoness had been brought down in the most horrible way imaginable: the loss of a loved one. He placed a comforting paw on her shoulder, "You have to stay strong. I know it hurts, but you can't let the Changewings see any weakness. They can't see that their plans are working."

The Queen nodded and suddenly flares of red and orange were rippling across her scales. _Anger can only work for so long. I just hope that it's long enough._ She began shouting orders to her guards present. Search parties of four to six dragons each would comb the village perimeter and look for Deathbringer and Moon.

The mention of her name reminded Winter of her absence. _Did she go after Deathbringer? I told her of my suspicions, so she might have taken things into her own claws after she left. It might be why Swordfish is dead. If Deathbringer thought I was hunting him instead of Moon, he might have planted the body as a warning._ Though, if Winter was being honest with himself, trying to find two Nightwings during the night seemed counterintuitive.

The searched all through the night and into the next morning, but no one saw anything that would reveal their locations. Nobody knew where to find Deathbringer or Moon. _I hope Moon is okay—even if she was acting like an ass earlier._ _However, I just assumed she was going after Deathbringer. What if she was going to revive Darkstalker instead? Though, how do I…great moons I feel like an idiot._

Both Turtle and Kinkajou were there when Darkstalker was defeated, and they've been with Winter searching the rainforest blindly for the entire night. _Sometimes I surprise myself with how oblivious I can be._ He stopped walking and his group stopped with him. Kinkajou, Turtle, Flint, and Blaze looked to him for clarification when he turned to the aforementioned pair of dragons, "Where's Darkstalker?"

Needless to say, they were both surprised and shocked by his question. Upon explaining his theory, they seemed to understand but were still reserved about telling him. _Even now, they still don't trust me._ After fixing Turtle with a death glare—Kinkajou went invisible so he couldn't glare at her anymore—he finally caved and told Winter the entire story. They didn't know how he had eaten the strawberry since they weren't there at the time when he did because Darkstalker wanted to talk to Moon alone. They did, however, know WHO he had become.

"Peacemaker? The strawberry farmer?" He was a bit skeptical of this revelation but decided not to question it. Winter knew who Peacemaker was. He also knew that Foeslayer—now known as Hope—had been raising him. He thought that Hope had been raising the unfortunate dragonet since he didn't have anyone else to raise him. That's what she had told him, anyway, when he asked. Peacemaker wasn't there to object and Winter didn't wander into the Nightwing village enough to figure out the truth, so he had had no reason to doubt Hope.

Until now, that is.

Thinking about this made memories of the Pyrite necklace once again surface in Winter's mind. _If Hailstorm had changed so much in only two years, how much would someone like Darkstalker be affected after seven?_ It was a good question—one that they were most likely about to find out, unfortunately. _Would he rather be the Darkstalker again and try to take over the world or would he prefer to stay as Peacemaker like Hailstorm wanted to become Pyrite again?_

It didn't take their group long to reach the Nightwing village once again. The fires had long since been put out, but signs of the devastation still remained. Old, burned huts whose owners had died in the fire still stood until such time as someone else got the chance of fixing it up for someone new. The once cheerful faces of the Nightwings had been replaced with wariness and distrust after the incident. It would take a long time until those wounds would begin to heal.

If the Changewings wanted to bring order to the world, why create such chaos by bombing innocent villagers? _Unless they WANT Pyrrhia to devolve into another war! That way they could swoop in and destroy all of us in a single move! _The thought was distressing.

Brainstorming possible evil plots could wait for later, though. Right now, they had to stop the return of Darkstalker. The five of them walked through the village towards where Winter remembered Foeslayer/Hope living. Winter knocked on the door when they arrived, and it opened after a few moments to reveal a slightly surprised Nightwing dragoness. Winter spoke first. He was in no mood for pleasantries right now, "Where is he?" Kinkajou was yelling something about kicking butts in the background and he heard Turtle try to calm her down, but Winter was focused on the Nightwing in front of him.

She blinked twice trying to understand what she was asked before replying, "Who?"

Winter narrowed his eyes and was about to say something snarky when Flint pushed him aside slightly and started speaking instead, "We shouldn't talk about this where others can hear us." Hope seemingly understood and invited the two of them inside. Winter heard Kinkajou complaining about being left out again before she was cut off suddenly. He heard Blaze give off a short girly squeal, so he could only imagine what was going on right behind him.

When the door was shut and the three of them were settled comfortably, Hope was the first to speak, "Are you here to kill my son?"

Flint wasn't expecting that question, so he was understandably caught off guard. Winter was expecting it, though, and was giving serious thought to the question. Yes, Winter wanted revenge for all of the Icewings that Darkstalker killed—including his father and Queen Glacier—but he also understood that it was revenge that killed them in the first place. Besides, Darkstalker wasn't even here anymore. Peacemaker was his new form. Could he honestly kill someone for what they MIGHT do? No.

He didn't want to kill Peacemaker OR Darkstalker. He just wanted to stop his return. "No. We're not killing anyone today." She was slightly surprised by his answer—indicated by another double blink—but let him continue. "Moon wants to release Darkstalker, and I can't let her do that."

She sighed heavily, "I'm afraid it's too late for that. Moon came here about four hours ago and told me everything. I told her where to find Peacemaker, and she left shortly after that." Her face started filling with regret, "Even if Peacemaker wasn't his real form, I got to raise my son again. I was happy. I don't want to see him leave again, but I believe that what Moon is doing is the right thing. If anyone can help defeat the Changewings, it's my son."

Flint saw Winter's slumped shoulders and decided to ask the question they both had, "How can you be sure Darkstalker won't still be evil?"

There was a soft creaking sound behind them. Hope looked to the door, "Why don't you ask him?"

Winter turned around and noticed Flint do the same and saw Darkstalker…but smaller. In fact, he was only slightly bigger than Winter. There was no doubt it was him, though. _The last time I saw him he was HUGE! How did he get so…normal sized?_ He saw the Nightwing smirk and realized something. _Oh, right. He can hear my thoughts. How about this? GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_

Darkstalker winced in both pain and surprise, "Wow! That was rude. What did I ever do to you?" He stopped and blinked at all of the nasty things going through Winter's mind. "Never mind, don't answer that." He smiled upon seeing his mother and wrapped the larger Nightwing in a hug to which she gladly returned.

When they separated, Darkstalker turned to Winter. "I apologize for everything that I did seven years ago. I know you hate me, and I'm not looking for any kind of trust or forgiveness on your part. If you tolerate and respect me, I will do the same for you. I am here for Moon's sake—just like you. And to answer your question, Flint…"

Moon entered the room and gave Darkstalker a strange device. He smiled at her gratefully and wrapped a wing around her to which she smiled back and leaned in closer. Winter tensed at the sight before him. Accepting that Moon was meant for Qibli was hard enough, but accepting her being with Darkstalker? What was the world coming to? Darkstalker's smile dropped and Moon turned around to glare at Winter. _Since you have HIM, I assume you don't need me anymore?_ She just turned back around.

That was enough of an answer for him. Winter got up, turned around, and left without another word. He saw the worried faces his friends were giving him, but he didn't care. He just needed to leave. Even Flint had stayed behind. He saw Blaze move to follow him, but Turtle held her back.

_Fine. I don't need them. I don't need anybody. Moon has her all-powerful new boyfriend, and she doesn't need me anymore. Guess what? I don't care. If she wants to go around killing dragons for sport, so be it. _He was just deluding himself at this point. He was trying to cover up the pain at her dismissal with anger.

It wasn't working.

Winter had stormed off to Flint's hut. Since his hut was a crime scene, Flint had graciously allowed Winter to stay with him. After about ten minutes of brooding, he realized he couldn't fall back into old habits, so he decided to meditate and contemplate. It didn't take long for Flint to return with Blaze, and they told Winter everything.

Apparently, Darkstalker had stored all of his powers into a vessel of some sort before he was turned into Peacemaker and enchanted it to release him when those powers were returned to him. When Moon had freed him with all of his powers, he had used his animus magic to shrink himself to a more reasonable size, checked the futures for about an hour, then returned both of those powers to his vessel.

He didn't want to suffer through the temptation that those two powers would give him, so he thought it best to get rid of them for now. Even though he wasn't an animus anymore, the enchantments he put on himself remained—meaning he was still immortal and invulnerable.

After all of that, Moon gave him the device Winter saw in Hope's hut. It was called a soul reader. It measured the good and evil in a dragon's soul. The black sands—which were good—took up almost three quarters of the hourglass. Flint's soul was used for reference and had almost all black with only a few specks of white. Nobody was perfect after all.

The saddest part for every witness there was that Moon's soul was half and half. She had fallen farther than anyone—even Darkstalker—would've thought possible. Moon had awakened Darkstalker so they could go hunt Changewings by themselves. He had refused. After seeing what Moon's soul had read, he had offered to go with her if the others in her group would go with them.

As much as he wanted to help Moon, he wouldn't do anything that would make her fall farther than she already had. Friends were the key to bringing her soul back into the light. She had reluctantly agreed on one condition.

Winter wouldn't be joining them.

It was an expected outcome, but it still hurt to hear. After everything he had done for her, she still just brushed him aside._ I suppose I did slap her, and she probably won't ever forgive me for that._ Whatever her reasons were, Winter's journey ended here. Flint and Blaze had decided to stay behind with him. Titan and Flare had already pretty much moved in permanently. Nobody really knew what Raven had been up to, but she had always been a secretive dragon.

Surprisingly, Turtle and Kinkajou had refused to go, too. In fact, they showed up not long after Flint and Blaze had and told Winter that they would stay here with him. It was absolutely unbelievable. The same friends that had caused Winter to ultimately run away from Jade Mountain because they didn't pay any attention to him had taken his side for almost the same reason. They felt as if what Moon was doing wasn't fair. Winter shouldn't be blamed for doing what he thought was right, and he most certainly shouldn't be left behind after everything he did.

It made Winter smile knowing his friends had become this loyal to him. When he asked why Turtle answered thusly, "We wronged you before, Winter. We drove you away when you needed us most. None of us—including you—have forgotten that day. Even now when you deserve to be angry at all of us, you just want to help. You've always just wanted to help. You sacrificed so much to help Moon: your dream, your friends, your home. For her to just ignore all of that and throw you aside is just wrong. You don't deserve that—you never did—so we're staying with you."

"Yeah! If those two want to go hunt Changewings, they'll have to beat us to them!" was Kinkajou's input. At Winter's sullen expression, she faltered, "We are still catching them, right?"

Flint nodded, "We should. Not only do the victims deserve justice…" He looked pointedly towards Winter before continuing, "but the potential victims—that is everyone who's still alive—deserve some peace of mind. Everyone's scared stiff that they'll be next. Not to mention the fact that they're after Winter for the ones he already killed."

Winter sat up with grim resolve, "That's right. They've killed too many already. We owe it to Queen Glory to solve this problem like we promised. Her husband, Deathbringer, is almost certainly compromised. He's also my friend, and I'm going to find and save him. Is everyone with me?"

Flint clapped him on the back, "You know I've got your back, brother."

Blaze dipped her head in respect, "I've already sworn my service to you, Prince Winter. I'll be by your side for as long as you need me."

"WHOA! That's sooo cool! Since when did you become a prince again!?" Kinkajou's eyes were wide in awe.

Winter laughed slightly, "I'm not, really. I'm just…" He paused and looked at Blaze, "…noble." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

Kinkajou turned and winked at Turtle who rolled his eyes and smiled slightly, "I'll go if Turtle does." Turtle thought for a minute before nodding in agreement.

"Are you sure?" Winter asked. "It'll be dangerous."

Turtle deadpanned, "More dangerous than defeating Darkstalker and stopping a two-thousand-year-old war? Been there, done that." He smirked slightly before becoming serious again, "Besides, we might actually have Darkstalker on our side this time. He may not be able to see the future or use animus magic anymore, but he's still a powerful ally—or enemy."

Flint picked up after Turtle finished, "From what I saw, he doesn't seem to be anything like the dragon you remember. Maybe he's changed." He lowered his voice so only Winter could hear, "You two might be more similar than you think. You're both trying to make up for past mistakes."

Winter still didn't like being compared to Darkstalker, but even he had to admit there was something different about him compared to before. He seemed genuine. There was no aura of maliciousness around him like seven years ago. Maybe…Maybe he SHOULD give Darkstalker a chance. He said he wasn't looking for trust or forgiveness, but maybe Winter would be able to give it in time. It would be hard to forgive and forget, but it wouldn't be impossible. He wanted to prove to the others that he had changed—as did Darkstalker.

Winter nodded, "If it comes to that, I'd much rather have him as an ally than an enemy."

"I'm glad you feel that way." They all turned to the sound of the new voice and saw none other than Darkstalker standing there with a serious expression. "Because if I'm being honest, I could use some help."

Turtle froze upon seeing who it was and Kinkajou's scales turned red and orange as she tried to calm him down while shooting glares at the Nightwing. Blaze and Flint scooted closer to Winter as the Icewing spoke, "YOU'RE asking for help?"

Darkstalker sighed, "I'm not asking for me. I'm asking for Moon's sake. She won't admit it, but she needs help." Nobody said anything, so he continued. "Her soul is in danger. She needs help from those closest to her." He gestured to the assembled dragons except Winter, "That means all of you."

Flint was the next to speak accusingly, "I thought she didn't want Winter's help?"

"Yeah! If Winter isn't going, we aren't either!" was from Kinkajou. _I guess I re-earned their loyalty._

Darkstalker glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "Your loyalty to the Icewing is admirable, but Moon doesn't want him to join us. As a matter of fact, neither do I."

Everyone in the room began getting angry at his audacity. Surprisingly, Turtle was the one who spoke up in Winter's defense, "If Winter isn't going, we aren't either. Unless you wish to change your view, there's nothing left to talk about." Turtle put extra emphasis on Winter's name as a show of defiance to the Nightwing after he had called Winter by his tribe.

Darkstalker sighed in exasperation, "How do dragons EVER get anything done without enchanting those who disagree with them?"

It was meant as a rhetorical question, but Winter answered it nonetheless, "It's called friendship—not that you understand what that word means since every relationship you've ever had was fake." Darkstalker's face morphed into one of rage. Apparently, that had hit a nerve. Winter didn't back down, though, "I know everything that you did! The only reason Clearsight EVER loved you was because you enchanted her to!"

The Nightwing lunged at Winter but Flint intercepted him. As strong as Darkstalker was, he was no match for the mountain of muscle that had just barreled into him. He went flying backwards from Flint's hit and crashed into a tree. Winter blinked in slight surprised before giving his brother a grateful look. He received a nod in return.

Winter walked up to the prone form of Darkstalker with Flint and Blaze behind him. Kinkajou and Turtle stayed back unless they were needed. They didn't particularly want to get on Darkstalker's hit list. On his way over, there was a slight flash of something metal from the tree above him, so he looked up in slight confusion.

He was shoved to the right into Flint as something impacted the ground where he had been standing mere moments ago. The chakram that had been aimed for his heart had instead slashed open one of Blaze's forelegs before impacting the ground.

Winter looked up and saw a flash of black scales through the shadows of the trees._ Oh No you don't! No one tries to kill me and gets away with it! _"GET BACK HERE COWARD!" Winter set off in pursuit with Flint struggling to keep up with him. The one downside of his muscle-mass was that he couldn't move as quickly or agilely as Winter could with his smaller frame. Flint was quickly losing ground from the chase and Winter vaguely heard him yell at him to slow down, but the assassin was in Winter's sights.

That chakram was the same kind of weapon that killed Swordfish. This Nightwing he was chasing was definitely a female from the body shape. That meant Deathbringer might actually be innocent. Maybe he was out trying to find the real killer…

Or the real killer had gotten to him first.

Either way Winter wouldn't let them escape. He dodged and weaved through the trees on the ground as the Nightwing struggled slightly through the branches. She tried changing directions every now and then, but Winter would always be right behind her. And he was catching up.

Apparently, the assassin knew she couldn't escape since she dropped to the ground and faced her failed target. Winter couldn't believe his eyes. It was, "Raven!?" She smirked as a sharp pain went up Winter's neck and he suddenly couldn't breathe.

He brought a paw up to where the pain originated and looked at it in confusion. His claws were covered in blue blood…Icewing blood…

His blood.

Winter's eyes opened wide as he tried to breathe but was only able to choke on the blood that was rapidly flowing from his severed artery and into his wind pipe. His legs collapsed beneath him and he was rapidly beginning to lose focus due to the blood loss.

The last thing he saw before the black void enveloped him was Deathbringer's smirk and the glint of light from another chakram.

**AN: I'm evil aren't I? This is probably the most a**hole move I've done so far. Especially when I say this: I'm planning on taking a break on writing for a week to relax and plan ahead. I've been pumping out chapters like there's no tomorrow, and I just need a short break. I haven't really had a chance to do anything else other than write since I've started and I just can't keep going at this pace-for now at least. **

**Have no fear, though, I plan on sticking with this story for a good, long while. With the way it's going, I'd be surprised if this story ends up with less than 150k words. That's the short side of the estimation by the way. It'll probably be around 250-300k by the end of it, so there is plenty more ahead to look forward to.**

**Now then, character themes:**

**I tried to capture the essence of these characters through the actual lyrics and message-not so much the singers. I'm not going to put explanations for each of them because I hope you can understand why once you listen to them. If you can't, however, send me a pm and I'll help clear any confusion up.**

***Winter- I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme) by John Rzeznik**

***Moon- Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival**

***Flint- He ain't Heavy, He's my Brother by Neil Diamond**

***Darkstalker- The Humbling River by Puscifer**

**I'm going to put in a bonus theme, too, because it just fits so well.**

***King Darkstalker- Hail to the King by Avenged Sevenfold**

**If you have any ideas for any other possible character themes leave a review with your suggestion. I'm interested to see what you might say.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	8. Chapter 7

Dragons Change

**AN: This chapter has been a long time coming, huh?**

**First things first, I just want to say I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit dry compared to the previous ones. I wasn't as happy with this one as I was with the others. In other news, FLUFF! Lots of it, too. It's like a cloud made of cotton balls!**

**Second, more character themes! I think they fit pretty well, so tell me what you think.**

**Blaze- Glitter & Gold by Barns Courtney**

**Turtle- The Touch by Stan Bush**

**Kinkajou- Count on Me by Bruno Mars**

**A little more peppy compared to the last group of theme songs. Opinions are welcomed!**

**Third, HOLY FRICKA-FRACK! In the two weeks since the last chapter, this story has had just shy of 700 views with most of those being on the first five days after posting it. You guys are awesome!**

**ATTENTION: Important stuff at the bottom. I encourage you to read the AN after finishing the chapter. It has to do with future chapters and the plans for such. I REQUIRE INPUT...please.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OC Flint belongs to me. Credit to the cover art goes to Saiba-of-the-Icewings whose Deviantart profile is beyzul. Go check him out, he's got some good stuff.**

Chapter 7:

Nothing.

That was the only word Winter could find to describe where he found himself after opening his eyes. There were no sounds, no smells, nothing to touch—not even a real ground or wisp of wind—and nothing to see. Everywhere around him was a blank void of…nothing. It was like he was walking around on an empty canvas before the artist began painting.

It was plain, white, and undefined. There was no sense of space or time. It was just nothingness as far as he could—or couldn't—see.

He looked around at the expanse of nothing and one question came to mind, "Did I die?"

He was honestly surprised that he could hear his own voice. He thought the void would swallow all sounds since there was nothing here or to hear. He was even more surprised when he got an answer.

"Yes, you did," Winter whirled around to see who was speaking when he saw a female Icewing. He had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming because this happened to be the most beautiful dragoness he had EVER seen. Queen Glacier, his mother, even his friend Lynx were considered to be very comely and attractive to look upon, but this new Icewing made them look like peasants in comparison. There was no detail about her that didn't seem like it had been painstakingly carved from a slice of perfection. Everything about her screamed of the quintessence of Icewing beauty. She smiled gently at him and spoke with a slightly humored voice, "While I appreciate your obvious infatuation, Prince Winter, it is not the reason I brought you here."

Winter shook himself out of his stupor and bowed in respect to her. He had so many questions: like, "Where is here? Who are you? How do you know who I am?"

Her smile morphed into one a caring mother would use to look upon their beloved child, "All in good time. To answer your first question, this is the world between worlds—a blank transition area between the mortal and spirit realms. As for who I am, I am the Spirit of Ice…but you may call me Aurora."

Winter mulled over what Aurora said and asked the first thing that came to mind, "What do you mean Spirit of Ice?"

Aurora lifted one of her claws and gently waved it through the air. A frigid wind began blowing as snow began steadily falling. Snowy mountains sprouted in the distance as a layer of ice and snow began covering the ground. The one thing that caught his eye above all else was the Icewing palace in the distance. Before he could voice his amazement, Aurora began to speak, "There are many Spirits in the world. Each continent has its own group of Spirits to watch over it, and each tribe has their own Spirit to watch over them. There are seven Spirits that watch over Pyhrria—one for each tribe. We watch them and guide them if we must. Most of the time we merely watch, but due to current events, we felt the need to intervene."

"So, you Spirits…Are you like gods?" Winter asked.

She shook her head, "Some may use that term to describe us, but we are not gods. We may be immortal and all-powerful, but we do not see ourselves above mortals. Our job is to protect and guide, not to enslave and manipulate."

Before Winter could ask another question, Aurora cut him off and pointed to somewhere behind Winter. When he looked, he saw an Icewing dragonet—no more than two years old—trudging through the snow. Winter's eyes opened wide in surprise and shock as he realized who that dragonet was…

It was himself.

This wasn't just some random landscape that Aurora conjured up. This was a memory. HIS memory from his youngest years. He remembered, too. This was one of his first tests. Parents would blindfold their dragonets and fly them into the wilderness. The dragonets had to find their way home on their own as an Icewing trial. Winter eventually found his way back, but he had taken too long and had failed the trial. "Why are you showing me this?" His voice was shaky. Memories long undisturbed once again began floating to the surface. All of his fear and loneliness that had manifested within him due to trials such as this as a dragonet had stayed with him for his entire life.

They weren't his happiest memories.

Aurora gazed down at his slightly shaken face and wrapped a wing around him, "I want you to know why I brought you here—what sets YOU apart from the rest. You are different, Winter. You have something that the Icewings have forgotten about…compassion."

Winter looked up at her, "Some good that did me," he said as he looked down. His voice was tinted with slight anger, "My compassion is my weakness according to my tribe."

She brought a claw down and gently lifted his head to look into his eyes, "No, Winter, your compassion is your strength. It may have made your early years harder, but it made you understand something that no other Icewing living today understands. You learned what true friendship and true family is. There are several dragons who mourn your passing: Flint, Blaze, Turtle, Kinkajou, even Moon. They are saddened by your loss because they care about you. That gives you a power beyond politics."

Winter blinked away the slight moisture in his eyes and took a deep breath, "What power is that?"

Her smile once again returned as did the scene around them. The snow began melting as trees sprouted from the ground. The sounds and smells he associated with the rainforest began filling his senses. The sound of crying caused Winter to turn around again and he saw something that he would never forget: Flint was embracing a sobbing Winter in his wings and forelegs as small streams of tears fell from his eyes. Voices that Winter recognized all to well began to be heard as if from a dream though neither of the dragons before him actually spoke:

_"I—I don't d-deserve y-you."_

"_Yes, you do. You deserve me more than anyone. You know you make me very proud. I remember what you were like when we first met, and I've seen how much you've changed for the better since then. No one deserves the kind of life that you lived, Winter. I'm so sorry you had to live through all of that. Every time I see you like this, it hurts because I know who you could've been. You're smart, caring, and talented and you could've been so many things, but they ripped that away from you. I'm sorry for what I said, okay? I don't care if we're from different tribes, Winter, you are my brother and I love you. I won't ever leave your side, no matter what." _

"_With everything that's happening, I'm being pulled in so many directions at once, and I—I don't know what to do!"_

"_I know. I just don't want to see you turn into the kind of dragon I know you hate. I'm just trying to protect you—even from yourself."_

Cold tears threatened to fall from Winter's eyes as he relived the memory in his mind and witnessed it happening before him. He felt Aurora shift so that her head was next to his as she whispered a single word, "Love."

The scene shifted once again. This time, they were in the Sanctuary's lounge. The room was dark but was lit up slightly by a fire as Winter saw himself trying to comfort Moon while she was on the ground shaking in fear. Once more voices began to speak:

_"No. You have every right to say that. I was a jerk back then. I should be the one that's sorry."_

"_I-I s-should have gone w-with you that n-night."_

"_Moon, what's going on? You're starting to worry me. Did you and Qibli have a fight? It's common for two dragons in a relationship to get into arguments. Or was it more than just an argument? Moon, did he hurt you? Moon, look at me. You're safe here. You don't have to worry about him hurting you again." _

"The Icewings have forgotten about love. Family and friends are used for political purposes. They have no support from those closest to them. That makes them the loneliest of all dragons." She lifted her head up and the landscape went back to the void of nothingness.

Winter looked down in utter defeat, "I wish she hadn't changed. I wish she still cared about me," he whispered.

Winter felt a comforting paw on his shoulder and looked up to see the sympathetic expression on Aurora's face, "I can't guarantee she will forgive you. That is up to the choices you make. Regardless of if she does or not, you still have others that care about you."

Instead of staying on this line of thought, Winter tried to divert the conversation by asking another question, "You said you chose me. Chose me for what?"

Aurora gave a slight nod before standing up once again and facing away from him, "The Changewings threaten all of Pyrrhia. Every Spirit that watches the continent has chosen a champion." She turned back around and looked at him with such ferocity that Winter wondered if this was the same dragon. Her gaze softened as she began again, "You are mine. You along with the other champions must save the continent from their evil."

Winter was silent for a moment before pointing out, "I'm dead, though, so I can't."

She smiled in amusement, "I'm going to send you back." Winter's eyes opened wide as she continued, "You have a far greater destiny ahead of you than to be killed before barely beginning your journey. The only catch being that I can't save you should you die again, so you must be careful."

Winter nodded in understanding, "If I'm going to help these other champions, it would be easier to know who they are."

Aurora looked at him in thought before nodding, "Agreed. Though, I can only tell you the five you have already met. The Sky Champion's identity, you must find on your own. The Spirits of Sand, Rain, Mud, and the Sea have chosen their respective champions to be Blaze, Kinkajou, Flint, and Turtle."

If Winter was being honest with himself, he didn't expect that, "My friends? Do any of them know that they were chosen?" Winter stopped as realization dawned upon him, "What about the Champion of Night? Who are they?" Another pause, "Is it Moon?"

Aurora suddenly looked sympathetic at Winter, "Only the Champion of Night knows that he was chosen. None of the others do yet, but they will in time." Winter didn't miss the fact that Aurora said 'he' but was unable to ask before she said the name he was dreading, "The Spirit of Night has chosen Darkstalker to be his champion."

Winter's expression immediately darkened upon hearing _his_ name. Thinking about allying with him in a hypothetical sense was completely different from being forced into working with the one dragon he hated above all others. He turned to Aurora with barely contained rage, "You expect ME to work with DARKSTALKER!?"

She heaved a sigh in response, "Unfortunately, yes. I am sorry, Winter. If it were up to me, Moon WOULD be the champion, but it is not up to me. Shade has chosen his champion and neither I nor the other Spirits can change his decision. We have tried, but he can foresee the future like some mortal Nightwings. He believes that choosing Darkstalker over Moon will lead to better futures." She paused for a moment to let that sink in, "And I'm inclined to believe him. He has never lead any of us astray and is a close friend of mine. I trust his judgement."

Winter ran a paw down his face in frustration, "Okay," he said simply after sighing heavily. "I will try my best to work with him, but I won't like it."

She smiled mischievously, "Do or do not, there is no try." Winter deadpanned at her and she began laughing. The sound was melodious to Winter's ears and he couldn't help but smile as well. After she finished laughing, her smile faded slightly, "I find myself enjoying your company, Prince Winter, but our time is coming to an end. If you wish to return to the mortal realm, you must leave now."

Winter blinked at the sudden change in conversation, "How exactly do I do that? You never did tell me, Aurora."

She smiled and stepped closer to him, "Kiss me," she said simply.

He flinched slightly, "There's no need to be so forward. The least you could do is invite me to dinner." He tried—and failed—to cover up his discomfort with sarcasm.

Aurora smiled in amusement, "While that sounds enjoyable, that is not what I meant. In order to return, you must kiss me."

Winter stared at her, looking for any kind of deception, but found none, "Oh," was the only thing he could think of to say. "So, I—I just kiss you? Just like that?" She nodded—her smile never leaving her face. "Okay then." He saw her close her eyes and lean forward as he did the same.

As their lips connected, pain shot its way up Winter's body. A loud, constant ringing sound began playing in his ears and his vision grew dark. He began to feel as if he were falling. On instinct, he threw his wings out to catch the wind and felt them collide with something. He heard a muffled grunt followed by a scream as the ringing in his ears began to disappear. His lungs burned for air unlike when he was in the void. His eyes flew open as he gasped in deep lungfuls of air before collapsing once again.

Winter took shallow, rapid breaths as his heart sped out of control. He eyes were empty as he stared into space ahead of him. He was vaguely aware of all of the panicking dragons around him along with the concerned and bewildered faces of his friends. He heard an echo of Aurora's voice, "I will be watching over you, Prince Winter," before he felt himself losing consciousness.

He awoke once again in the healer's hut. The room was lit by nothing but the rays of light caused by a single full moon. He looked around the room, still slightly groggy, and saw none other than Moon looking out of the window watching it. The moonlight that streamed through the window accentuated her form and made her look positively beautiful. As he gazed upon her, he saw her turn and look at him. Her face and voice were filled with sadness when she spoke, "I saw your body, Winter. I felt for a pulse. You were dead." She paused and Winter noticed a slight glimmer from a tear in the corner of her eye, "How are you alive?"

Winter looked away from her and didn't speak. He thought about his conversation with Aurora. Should he tell Moon about the Spirits? Would she believe him? He had an inexplicable feeling that he shouldn't tell her, though. Maybe it was Aurora trying to tell him not to tell her. He didn't know for sure. He wasn't entirely sure about anything anymore. In the end, he decided on a half-truth. At least, he would have if he could. He tried to say something, but nothing would come out. When he tried harder, he stopped from the extreme pain in his throat from trying to speak as coughs racked his body which only made his throat hurt worse. Winter brought his paws up to his throat and rubbed it to try and soothe the pain. He looked back up and noticed that she had moved closer to him in the moment of silence.

Moon looked on with concern, "Are you okay, Winter?" He opened his mouth to try again. While the pain had lessened from the first time, it flared once more as he attempted to speak again. At this point, he was slightly panicking. _Why can't I talk? What happened to my voice?_ He rubbed his paw against his neck again and felt it. There was a large scar across his neck. His eyes opened wide in fear and realization. _My vocal cords have been severed! I can't talk anymore!_ His panic at the sudden turn of events clouded his better judgement and he began scrabbling at his neck and caused shallow gashes to form as he opened his mouth in a silent scream.

He felt paws attempting to grab his and his panic began to lessen as he realized who it was. He blinked away the tears from his eyes and looked down to a worried Moon, "You can't speak, can you?" He looked into her eyes and shook his head ever so slightly, and she inhaled sharply in response before releasing it slowly and shakily. "This is all my fault," she whispered. Winter squeezed her claws in response and shook his head. "Yes, it is," she whimpered.

She looked down and wouldn't meet his eyes, "I've been unfair to you—to everybody. You've done nothing but try and support me through everything that's happened and I've done nothing but use you for my own selfish purposes." Her voice had grown steadily more emotional as she continued, "When y-you slapped me, I t-thought that I would never f-forgive you. I-I was so angry at you f-for doing that," a choked sob managed to escape as more tears began to fall.

"W-when I s-saw your b-body after F-Flint came and t-told m-m-me what h-happened, a-all I c-could think a-about w-was that it w-was m-m-my f-fault. I l-l-let my a-anger cloud m-my m-mind, a-and I s-said and d-did t-things that I d-didn't m-mean." Her emotions had finally gotten the better of her as she began sobbing. Winter brought her into an embrace to which she didn't object to. She was able to say one more sentence before breaking down completely, "I-I-I d-don't w-want-t t-to l-lose you a-again-n!"

Winter blinked in slight shock. _Does she mean that? Everything that I thought that she was becoming never pointed to this. I don't know what to believe anymore._ When she began rubbing her cheek across his neck, he froze for a moment as his mind went into overdrive. He was caught between his old desire to be with her and his morals. No matter how badly his mind wanted to move on, however, his heart had a different opinion.

After about three minutes of an internal debate, Winter's mind was made up as Moon began working her way up to under his jaw. _I don't know if this is the way she truly feels or not, but—just this once—I'll just go with it. _Moon pulled away and looked down in embarrassment. She was about to mutter an apology when Winter gently caressed the side of her face with one of his paws. She looked up in slight shock as Winter stared into her deep green eyes before he brought his other paw up to the other side of her face. All the while, she never fought it as Winter gently leaned his forehead forward and she leaned in, too. Their foreheads made contact and they stared into the other's eyes.

Words weren't needed. They would have ruined the moment, anyway. Winter closed his eyes and relished in the contact. The chill from his scales met the warmth of hers and created a sensation so unique that he never wanted to break it. They stayed like that for several moments before Moon pulled away—Winter's paws sliding down her face. She shivered slightly as they broke their contact—from the cold or something else, he couldn't tell—and smiled at him sheepishly, "Thank you." He cocked his head to the side to signal his confusion. Seeing this, she continued, "It's been so long since another dragon showed me any kind of affection like that."

Winter looked away slightly as a blush began forming on his face due to her word choice. She was embarrassed, too, but continued, "I forgot how much I enjoyed little moments like this." Winter's blush had turned into a noticeable blue tint on his face. When he refused to meet her gaze again, she giggled at him but decided to stop teasing him for now. When she backed up and looked over at him, her smile turned into a frown.

She turned away and made to leave without another word. He didn't want her to leave but couldn't exactly ask her to stay and his legs wobbled when he tried to stand, so he did the only thing he could. He couldn't speak, but he could still make some sounds—including a high-pitched whine. She stopped suddenly at the noise and looked back at him with a mix of amusement, confusion, and concern, "Did you want me to stay?" He opened his mouth to say yes, but then he remembered he couldn't speak so he nodded instead. "Okay."

She made her way to the bed next to his and laid down. She was silent for a few minutes before she started talking to him about her feelings about this whole situation. She was still grieving over her mother's death—which was understandable. She was angry at herself for behaving the way she had been. She was happy that he was alive. She was amazed at how he seemingly forgave her already—which he had, even though he couldn't voice that fact.

He was hooked upon her every word as she continued to spill her heart out like he did sometimes with Flint. If she was willing to tell all of this to him, it was a signal of how much she trusted him.

He smiled at her jokes and comforted her when the pain of her worst memories became too much. He could honestly say that some of them didn't make sense, but who was he to judge? Ten minutes had gone by, then thirty, then an hour, then two, and she was still finding new things to talk about. His attention never flagged once and he never interrupted her in any way. If she needed to talk about these things, then he would listen.

Eventually, Moon fell asleep, but Winter sat there in silence thinking about everything that she had told him. He couldn't sleep because as time passed, the feeling he knew all too well had resurfaced and strengthened to the point where if he could still talk, he would be spilling the beans right about now. Whatever the future brought—whatever might happen—there was one thing that was certain in Winter's mind both now and forever…

_I love you, Moon._

Unfortunately, dawn came all too soon and the healers and Winter's friends came to check up on him. Winter had spent the entire rest of the night awake and they were both exhausted—Winter more so than Moon—but they smiled at their arrival, nonetheless. It seemed that they would all come to check up on him every morning and night. It was admirable and made him smile at their newfound loyalty to him. He didn't know why they were all of a sudden, and he didn't know if it would last but planned on making the most of it while he could.

Unsurprisingly, Flint was the first one in and brought him into a near bone-crushing hug as he saw that Winter was awake. When he was released, he had hardly any time to breathe before Blaze brought him into another hug. It was much softer than Flint's and filled with obvious relief at his return. He saw Moon's eyes narrow as Blaze kissed him on the cheek when she broke the hug. While he wasn't surprised that she was showing him affection since it was obvious that she had had a crush on him since the day they had awoken in the rainforest when she had sworn her service to him.

He WAS surprised that she had gone so far in such a short amount of time. He expected her to kiss him at some point, but he didn't think it would be so soon. Thinking about his and Moon's little moment last night made him think of that old saying, 'You never know how much you'll miss something until it's gone' or something like that. That meant he shouldn't be too surprised at both of their reactions.

Blaze had sat herself directly on his right and wrapped her wing around him as she laid her head on top of his since she was bigger than he was. He could see that Moon was jealous. As soon as he thought that, she glared at him. _It must be a coincidence, _he mused.

His attention was diverted as Blaze began purring in contentment. He didn't mind the affection or the clinginess. In fact, he kind of enjoyed it. Seven years ago, he would have been disgusted at the display, but now he accepted it. If Blaze wanted to have a crush on him, that was her decision. He doubted he could dissuade her otherwise, anyway.

The more he thought about it, the more conflicted he became about the situation. He had already admitted to himself that he loved Moon, but she was still Qibli's girlfriend and he didn't want to steal her away from him. He had promised himself that he would move on, so he had to try.

Blaze, though, was a good friend of his. She supported him through some hard times. While neither of them knew much about the other—aside from general backstory—time could fix that. In a few months' time, he and Blaze could probably be really close friends. The question was, could they ever be more than that? She was undoubtedly beautiful—then again, so was Moon—and had a great personality.

It all came down to facts, he supposed. He enjoyed both of their company, both of them were beautiful and had great personalities, he was already attracted to Moon but it probably wouldn't take long for him to become attracted to Blaze. Only one of them was single, however.

Coming to that conclusion, his little internal debate was decided and he leaned into Blaze's embrace slightly. _Might as well start getting closer to her now. _Her scales were much warmer than Moon's and that sensation he felt last night from the prolonged contact of his and Moon's foreheads returned with greater clarity across his entire body. It felt so good that he had to force his eyes to stay open.

All the while, he was vaguely aware of Turtle and Flint giving some kind of status report. He wasn't really paying that close attention since he was more focused on the practically divine sensation of his and Blaze's scales being pressed together. A few things stood out, however, and when they were done, he wanted to ask a question but couldn't and looked around futilely, "Are you okay, Winter? You haven't said a word," came from Turtle.

He saw the concerned faces on all of his friends' faces. He wasn't sure how he would take this, so he just decided to get it over with. He pointed at the scar on his neck, open and closed his mouth, and then shook his head. "You can't speak?" Flint asked. Winter shook his head.

There were gasps and other such reactions. Turtle pulled out a rock and rubbed it over his scar. _What was that supposed to do?_ "Try and speak, now." He tried, and then started coughing in pain shortly afterward. _Of course, it didn't work! How would a rock heal me!?_ Winter mentally yelled.

He—and everyone else—heard another gasp and turned to see who did it. Moon stepped toward him with a worried expression, "You don't remember, do you?" _Remember what?_ "Remember that Turtle is an animus—" He opened his eyes wide and swung around to look at the Seawing before hearing, "Or that I can read minds?"

Winter froze and slowly looked over at her with a slightly panicked expression, "I heard most of what you were thinking about me last night. I thought…" She stopped and looked away before swallowing hard. "I wasn't asleep when you thought it."

His heart felt as if it stopped and he felt as if he couldn't breathe. "Thought what?" asked Flint. Blaze's interest had been peaked by this point, too. Moon shook her head at their question and didn't answer. They didn't ask again.

She took a breath before speaking, "As far as any of us know, Winter, Qibli is dead, along with Thorn, Smolder, Deathbringer, Raven, and who knows how many more."

Kinkajou spoke up, "You don't know that for certain! They could all still be alive! We just have to find them!" _As optimistic as always, Kinkajou._

If Moon really COULD read minds, then maybe…_What happened to them?_ She blinked at him in shock, "Winter, what do you know about Changewings?" He furrowed his brow in confusion. _The old legends? What do bedtime stories have to do with anything?_ She took a step back and her breathing hitched at his thought-response.

"What's going on Moon? What'd he say?" asked Flint. He kept glancing between the two with an increasingly concerned expression.

She whispered her answer, "He doesn't remember." He felt Blaze's hold on him tighten in response. Flint and the rest of his friends were looking at him with a mixture of regret and pity. _Remember what!? What am I missing!?_

So they filled him in. He remembered most of it in a different way that they actually happened. For instance, He remembered that Secretkeeper was killed, but he thought that a Sandwing terrorist had killed her with the cactus. Some stuff he didn't remember at all. He didn't remember killing 'Qibli' or 'Mangrove'. He didn't remember Mojave, Swordfish, or Raven at all. He didn't remember Darkstalker's return.

WAIT…WHAT!?

His expression morphed into one of rage at the Nightwing's name, but he didn't get a chance to ask for an explanation because what they said next shocked him to his core. "Raven lured you away and 'Deathbringer' ended up slicing your throat open with a chakram. You were dead for three days. We were about to bury you before a blinding light erupted from your body. You woke up in a panic for a few seconds before falling unconscious." _What's so bad about that?_ He wondered.

Moon was the one to break the horrible truth to him, "Winter, look at me," he complied. _Why are her eyes so filled with sadness?_ "Winter, that happened over a year ago. You've been in a coma the entire time." She spoke slowly and gently, but nothing would have prepared him for what she had just said.

His eyes opened wide in shock and he searched her face—desperately looking for some sort of twisted joke—and found that she was being truthful. His heart began speeding up as his legs gave out once he started hyperventilating.

_It can't be true. It can't be true. It can't be true! It can't be true! It can't BE TRUE! IT CAN'T BE TRUE! _He was mentally screaming the same phrase as a mantra—hoping that if he said it enough, that it would come true. None of their faces belied any form of trick. He remembered dying and he remembered…

He tried desperately to remember what happened when he was dead, but the memory kept slipping from his grasp. All he could remember was a beautiful Icewing named Aurora. He also remembered waking up, but he did not remember anything after that.

He had been in a coma for over a year! He looked at his body and saw that he was much thinner than he remembered. It WAS true! As any dragon would do when discovering something like this, Winter searched for support in the only place that could bring him comfort. He broke out of Blaze's grasp and stumbled over to his brother. Flint wasted no time in picking up his intent and pushed past the others in the room and grabbing the Icewing before he fell over.

After getting support from Flint, the others wanted to show their support, too. Turtle, Kinkajou, Blaze, Moon, Titan and Flare—who he still remembered for some reason—even Queen Glory. She had shown up after one of the healers snuck out to tell her that he was awake. He appreciated the support…and the food.

The Queen had sent the healers to fetch some food for Winter. Fruits had never tasted so good to him, but what really got his mouth watering was the giant barrel of salted fish from the Sea Kingdom.

Apparently, the Seawings and Rainforest tribes had a very close political alliance. Tsunami, daughter of the Seawing Queen, was close friends with Queen Glory, after all. It was only reasonable that their political ties would grow stronger because of that. Glory would often trade for fish and other meats for her Nightwing subjects. It was another way that she had secured their support. They appreciated her thoughtfulness towards them.

They started their explanation of events that had transpired in the past year. Seven more Changewings had been found in the rainforest since Winter's death. Most of them were caught within the first five months since the group had picked up a few tricks on how to catch them. Queen Glory had reinforced the border patrol. No one got in or out without her knowing about it.

Second, guards were posted at the two tunnels at every hour—both night and day. Third, the Queen had informed all of her subjects of the situation that the rainforest found themselves in. She had initiated a curfew and outlawed all forms of jewelry. Winter had pointed at Flint's armband that he was still wearing. They had looked between each other before Queen Glory said she had given him special permission. His armband was a gift from his sisters given to him on his hatch day a week before they had been killed that fateful night. Winter didn't pay much attention to it since he remembered that Moon had offered his armband back. Turtle was also wearing the necklace his sister had given him. Apparently, the entire group had special permission.

When she had declared that law, four of the seven Changewings had been found. Morale in the rainforest was at an all time low, and 'Raven' and 'Deathbringer' still hadn't been found yet. Of the three other Changewings that had been found, Darkstalker had found two of them almost by himself. It seemed that he was being serious when he said he was here to help.

Most of the group—with the exception of Kinkajou—had begun to trust Darkstalker throughout the fourteen months he had been in a coma. The were all ready to accept him into their group aside from Kinkajou because they understood how much of a help he had been. Most of what Queen Glory had done, such as the increase in border security and the outlawing of jewelry, had been hiss suggestions. While Glory was loathe to admit that she was wrong about anything, she had begun to understand that the Darkstalker from seven years ago and the Darkstalker today were two completely different dragons.

Like Moon had predicted, Darkstalker's animus and foresight powers had shrouded his mind in a cover darkness. The arrogance and cockiness from being the most powerful dragon in the known world had gone to his head. Somewhere on his journey, he had lost the ability to discern right from wrong. Now, without his powers, his judgement was once again free and clear. Moon had been helping him in his journey like he was helping her in hers.

Many of the Changewings didn't go down quietly. Three of them had fled and one had surrendered. The other three had to be killed since they had been too dangerous or too stubborn to capture. Darkstalker had been the one to kill them, claiming that his claws were already permanently stained with blood from countless dragons. He said that the others shouldn't have to experience what it was like to take another dragons life. Winter, apparently, had taken several dragons' lives before he met his 'demise', but he just couldn't remember no matter how hard he tried.

It frustrated him to no end that there were events he had been told that he had done but couldn't remember. It was like there were holes in his memory and he wouldn't believe that any of it had happened if there weren't so many witnesses to affirm them. Not only that, but he still couldn't talk. Yes, he could talk in his mind and have Moon translate for him, but what happened when he wanted to talk to someone alone? He simply couldn't. When—or rather IF—his throat healed, he would be able to have a conversation without Moon translating for him. He was disabled for all intents and purposes.

They had also informed them that the one captive Changewing they had caught was cooperating quite well. In the seven months of being their prisoner, they hadn't attempted to escape and Turtle and Flint had conversed with them on multiple occasions. It seemed that not all Changewings were advocates for world domination and tribal subjugation. There were a few Changewings in Pyrrhia that sympathized with the tribes. This Changewing claimed to be one.

Moon had interviewed him several times and hadn't found any malicious intentions and both Flint and Turtle vouched for his character. Kinkajou had become naturally suspicious of everyone besides their group and Queen Glory, so she didn't trust them still. Blaze and Moon had decided to trust the two guys' disposition. Darkstalker had been surprisingly supportive of the Changewing. Out of all of them, Darkstalker had spent the most time talking with them.

In fact, he was there right now. Winter didn't remember anything about the Changewings, so…_Can we go talk to the Changewing? Maybe if I see one, I could remember more?_ He projected his thoughts to Moon. She looked to him and thought for a second before turning to the others, "Winter wants to talk—" she stopped suddenly in slight embarrassment, "uh, sorry…Winter wants to MEET with the Changewing."

The others exchanged glances for a moment before Flint shrugged, "I don't see why not. It might be for the best, anyway." He received nods in response.

"I agree," Queen Glory affirmed. "I will take you to it, Winter. The rest of you have jobs to do." Moon placed a paw on Glory's shoulder and gestured to Winter's throat. "Right. Moon can come, too."

The three of them made their way out of the healer's hut and towards the center of the village. Moon and Queen Glory informed him of several other changes that were made on the way.

With the rise in security, the old Nightwing village had been abandoned. The Nightwings were now living in the Rainwing village. While most of the were fine with the new arrangement, there were a select few that still couldn't forgive and forget the sins of the past. As a consequence, several fights had broken out and Queen Glory had established martial law. Her elite guard—members of both rainforest tribes and a few ex-veteran visitors—patrolled the streets. Fear and anger permeated the entire village. Nobody liked this new way of life—including the Queen—but it was necessary until something could be done to stop the remaining Changewings in the rainforest from terrorizing the village.

Simple walls were erected around the village and nobody besides the elite guard—known as the Night-Showers—dared roam outside. Watches were posted to prevent anyone from coming in…

Or going out.

For outside the walls, the Changewings ruled. 'Raven' and 'Deathbringer's' reign of terror had caused the death of nearly a dozen unwary dragons. Supplies were near-depleted due to raids on both the village and trade routes. The Seawing traders had begun coming less and less over the months. Since no one else besides the few Seawing traders brave—or foolish—enough to make the journey were able to enter the rainforest unless given explicit permission from the Queen, news from the rest of Pyrrhia was scarce. The Rainforest Kingdom had isolated itself from the rest of the continent.

It was a good idea in theory. In practice though…unrest had spread through the village. Within weeks—if not less—riots were almost guaranteed. Something had to be done to solve this problem, and it had to be done NOW.

With Winter's return, Queen Glory hoped that they would be able to hunt down the remaining Changewings, open the borders, find out news of the outside world, and take the fight to the other Kingdoms. This was their quest. That meant it was now Winter's quest, too. For better or worse, they saw him as their leader. He wished he was that confident in his abilities.

As they walked through the village, Winter saw the strife first hand. The Rainwings that he remembered to be fun-loving and energetic were now sullen and depressed. The Nightwings who had once been the most respected and mysterious tribe on Pyrrhia were now all stuck together in an area of just under thirty square miles. The visitors to the rainforests were the most unhappy. Most of them had come here as the rainforest was a popular vacation destination and were furious at the fact that they weren't allowed to leave. What had they had meant to be a week long stay had turned into over a year of being trapped in a village not their own.

They soon arrived at 'the cage'. Darkstalker's prison that he had made eight years ago was now used as the Kingdom's detention center. Certain renovations had been made, of course. Windows were placed into the walls and the one large room had been sectioned off into four cells. All four cells were being used at the moment with six imprisoned dragons total. There were two Nightwings who were overly aggressive, a Sandwing who had stolen supplies, and three Icewings who had tried to start a coup. That wasn't their final destination, though.

A lone wooden hut stood away from the 'cage' but was still in the same general area. It looked like any of the residential huts. The only difference was the presence of two Rainwing guards outside of the door. _Who lives there?_ He received no answer other than a glance in his direction and a smile. He was even more confused when it became evident that was their destination.

Queen Glory exchanged a few words with the guards who stepped aside shortly afterwards. Moon walked up to the door and knocked gently. "Enter," was the response. The voice sounded strange to Winter, but he had no time to ponder it as Moon gestured for him to open the door. Thoughts of what awaited him beyond the door entered his mind as he put his claws upon it and pushed it open. "What can I—Oh, hello. Winter, right?" The mentioned Icewing nodded in response. "I've wanted to meet you, but everyone kept saying that you were busy."

Winter shrugged in response. _I've been unavailable for a while._ He took a moment to observe the small hut in detail as Moon translated his thoughts. The furnishings were very simple: a bed, a desk, a scroll rack full of scrolls, and…nothing else. It seemed that the Changewing liked to live simply—or that was all that he was given to live with. Speaking of the Changewing, Winter took in its appearance as it continued to chat idly with Moon. It sparked some form of familiarity in Winter's mind, but he still couldn't place exactly where and it frustrated him to no end.

"Hello? Winter?" He blinked and noticed the Changewing looking at him expectantly. _I'm sorry, what did you say? _Moon relayed his thoughts once again. It smirked in amusement, "I said it was a pleasure to meet you." Winter dipped his head in acknowledgement. "I'm guessing you aren't here for pleasantries, though." Winter nodded again. "What would you like to know?" _Just like that? It can't be that easy._

Moon turned to him and smiled gently, "Yes, Winter, just like that and it is that easy. Praetor has been giving us any information that we want. They want to help us where they can." _Praetor?_ She nodded, "Darkstalker's idea for a name. We couldn't keep calling them 'Changewing' the entire time."

_How and why did you change sides and come here?_ Moon once again relay—you know what, I think you get the idea. "I saw some of the things that the others were doing and couldn't go along with it in good conscience." They stopped and lowered their head in shame, "I have done horrible things in 'service for my kind', but there comes a point where a dragon can't take anymore. I left my post in the Sky Kingdom, thinking that the Rainforest would be quieter. Once I saw the blockade, I made a decision I have yet to regret. I revealed myself to the guards and asked to be imprisoned. While I was spurned at first, I knew that I deserved worse than a cell and words full of hate."

Praetor looked back up with a determined gaze, "I want to prove myself to you, Winter. The others say that they follow you, so I wish to follow you as well. While I don't know much about operations in the Rainforest due to compartmentalization, I know about what's happening in the Sky Kingdom and I know how to discover who are Changewings and who aren't. I can be a big help if you let me."

Glory's voice sounded after Praetor's mini-speech, "I haven't made any decisions regarding what happens to them, Winter. As much as I want to think otherwise, I'm out of my element right now. You know—or knew—more about what's going on than most dragons. Your friends trust you judgement, and I have come to trust it, too."

Winter looked between the three dragons present in the room. All of them—even the QUEEN—was looking to him to lead them. Apparently, he had killed three Changewings in the past, but he didn't remember any of it. If what they told him was true, the first two had been an accident committed in a fit of rage and the third had been discovered due to one of Moon's visions and killed as a defenseless prisoner. He still couldn't believe that he would do anything like that. It just didn't sound like something he would do.

Regardless, this is what was happening now. Winter still remembered most of his time in the Sanctuary, and he remembered how observant he was. He didn't see anything other than sincerity on Praetor's face when they were telling their story. Winter wanted to believe them, but something in the back of his mind was cautioning him against accepting help from the Changewing. _I can't accept—not yet._ Moon looked at Praetor with regret written on her face and the Changewing immediately understood, "I understand," they said, their voice filled with sadness. _Moon, tell him that I emphasize 'yet'. Something keeps telling me that now is not the right time._

She relayed as much to Praetor, and their face lit up in hope once more. "That is all I wish for—a chance to redeem myself. Until then, did you have another question?" _Do you know if there are any Changewing hideouts in the rainforest? _"I'm sorry, no. Like I said, compartmentalization." He nodded in understanding. _Do you think they know that I'm still alive?_ Praetor was confused for a moment until Moon told him the truth. He was shocked to say the least but ultimately believed her. "It's hard to say. I would say yes, but they actually might not. Until you know for certain, I would plan as if they do."

Winter thought for a moment. _Who do they want dead?_ "For certain, all I know is that they want all of the Dragonets of Destiny and original Jade Winglet members under surveillance, captured, or dead." _Explains Raven's presence as well as the attack on Sunny. Jade Mountain might be in danger, though!_

Moon looked at him with understanding, "There's nothing we can do about that now, Winter. We have to focus on securing the rainforest, first."

Winter suddenly had an idea. _What is the Changewing command structure like?_ Praetor didn't hesitate to answer. Winter made note of this. On one claw, it proved that Praetor was willing to help them, but on the other, if Praetor was willing to betray the Changewings, what's to say that he wouldn't betray them? "The entire vanguard is controlled by a single dragon. Nobody knows who they are, though. Each Kingdom has a captain in charge of operations and two to five soldiers under them with dozens of grunts spread out between them. I was a 'grunt' so I don't know as much as you probably would like."

If Winter's hopes were well-founded, 'Raven' and 'Deathbringer' were the last soldier and captain, respectively. Seven—or six, not counting Praetor—Changewings had been pacified in the rainforest, so, theoretically, there shouldn't be many more left due to the blockade keeping many of them out. _What is protocol for operatives? Do they stick together or spread out to prevent being found?_

Winter had no idea where this tactical analysis was coming from, but he wasn't complaining. Moon and Glory's eyes opened wide and Praetor smiled deviously. "I think I understand what you're getting at. You know their identities, right?" Winter nodded. "Protocol is that they stay separated until searches have been called off. Once they are in the clear, they come together to consolidate power and launch a final attack."

"That's suicide!" yelled Moon. "They don't stand a chance fighting two entire tribes on their own!"

"I know, but I never said a frontal assault. They'll find a way to kill or injure as many of you as possible before escaping. If they die in the process, they die knowing that they have served well." Praetor shook his head despairingly, "That was another reason I left. I do not wish to die." _They're fanatics! They'll do whatever it takes to win, no matter the cost. _"Yes."

"I think I understand the plan, Winter," Glory began. "I'll begin to rein in the search parties over the next few days—make it look like we're giving up without being too suspicious about it. Then, we'll just have to watch and wait."

Right then is when a Rainwing guard, out of breath, came running to the cabin, "YOUR MAJESTY!" He collapsed at the door's threshold. Glory helped him up but before she could say anything, the single most feared phrase escaped through the guard's lips, "The forest is on fire!"

Winter, Moon, and Glory ran outside to see if they could spot it and weren't disappointed by what they saw. Flames consumed the trees as a pillar of smoke rose miles into the air. Apparently, there hadn't been rain in this part of the forest for five days, so it was drier than usual. The Changewings had taken the offensive before they could put their plan in place.

Winter rubbed his neck with a paw as he looked back at Praetor. A single phrase kept going through his mind: _I don't remember most of what happened before, and now that I've awakened, this will be my trial…by fire._

_ Literally._

**AN: What did you think? Poor Winter, huh? He just keeps getting the short straw in life doesn't he?**

**Alright, this is the important stuff.**

**First, I mentioned in the prologue that this would be a WinterWatcher fic, but a certain someone-not saying who-sent me a pm and said something that got me thinking. I think I know what you guys would say, but I just want to ask for curiosity's sake. Would you rather Winter end up with Moon or Blaze? This is an open-ended question, so there is no limit for input. **

**Second, chapters are going to start coming out slower due to real-life obligations. School is coming to an end and is bringing a lot more homework and studying. Also Total War: Warhammer II's new DLC pack is coming out next Wednesday, and I have been waiting months for it, so I'll be doing that for at least a couple of days next week. I promise that another chapter will be out by the end of the month, though.**

**Third, I need some help from you guys. I need a Skywing OC. I can make my own but where's the fun in that? If you guys want to send in suggestions, winner gets their OC in my story. Three conditions, though: they can't be a hybrid, animus, or a firescales. I have reasons for the first and second. The second should be obvious. **

**Information that I need is: Name, Age, Gender (male/female), Eye Color, Notable Physical Attributes (scars and the like), Intelligence Level on a scale of 1 to 5 (1-Coconut-really slow, 2-Clay-slightly below average, 3-Flint-average, 4-Winter-above average, 5-Swordfish-genius), Personality Type, and any other things you think to be important.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**

***Does Arnold Schwarzenegger impression* **

**I'll be back.**


	9. Chapter 8

Dragons Change

**AN: It's been a while hasn't it. I hope the wait is worth it, especially since this is the longest chapter yet by almost 700 words.**

**For those of you who caught the author's note I posted then deleted the next day, I asked about the shipping dilemma. I said that I would expand the bachelorettes to include Aurora as well.**

**So far we have:**

**Blaze-2**

**Aurora-pending**

**Moon-5**

**Can't say I wasn't expecting it to go this way, but the voting is still up. Your opinion counts, so if you want to be heard...SPEAK UP!**

**Disclaimer: I'll just get this out of the way before I get to the juicy stuff. I do not own Wings of Fire. Flint and Aurora are my OCs and are not to be used without explicit, expressed permission from their creator (me).**

**I've been in communication with an up-and-coming author by the pen name of Averycoldboi. He asked if he could use my concept of spirits, and we've decided that his story will be an unofficial sequel. If anybody's read it, you might know why. I won't spoil it for you, though, so go read it. It's really good.**

**Since I keep forgetting to put this in previous chapters, I'll also say that the cover art for the story belongs to Saiba-of-the-Icewings. Their deviantart page is beyzul. Some good stuff on there, go check it out.**

**As for the moment you've been waiting for, the winner of the Skywing OC contest is-DRUM ROLL PLEASE...**

Chapter 8:

"FOCUS ON CONTAINMENT! WE CAN'T LET THE FIRE REACH THE VILLAGE!" rang out Glory's command. Rainwings and Nightwings alike began either taking shelter or combating the fires that were quickly raging towards the village.

Winter looked back at Praetor who was watching the fire with fear. "Let me help, Winter!" He wanted to. Oh, how Winter wanted to let Praetor help, but something was still nagging at the back of his mind. He shook his head to which Praetor's expression fell. Before he even knew it, Winter was projecting a thought for translation. _Your time will come, but it is not now. Find shelter and I will come for you when I need you._

Moon, of course, translated for him, but looked at him strangely as she did so. He couldn't spend time thinking about it because he had a fire to contain. He wouldn't let these dragon's homes burn because of his inaction. He was an Icewing with the power of frostbreath. If anyone could stop this fire, it was him. Without another thought, Winter rushed towards where the fire was and heard his group following him.

Glory had split off from the group and yet her voice could still be heard over the din of panicking dragons and the blazing fire giving orders to everyone she came across. Winter wasn't an expert on fire, but he did know the basics. If it had no fuel, it wouldn't burn. _Flint, Blaze, Kinkajou, and Moon, you four start clearing out a fire-line—keep that fire from getting into the village. Get as many to help as you need. Turtle, you and I are going straight into the blaze._

"What about you, Winter!? You can't speak!" cried out Moon. He stopped near the edge of the village and the others spread out to go about clearing the area. Only Moon and himself were still inside the wall.

Winter looked into her eyes and saw her concern for him written in them as clearly as he could see the fire getting closer with every passing second. He reached up to stroke the side of her face and she leaned in to his touch ever so slightly as she closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them again and stared into his eyes, "I don't want to lose you again, Winter. I _can't_."

He smiled at her gently and reassuringly. _You won't._ He leaned forward and once again brushed his forehead against hers before pulling away and running towards the fire. _GO! Help the others! _He yelled mentally without looking back.

He had delayed long enough. If the time he spent with Moon was the difference between saving the village and watching it burn, he would never forgive himself. He found Turtle putting out the smaller fires with the same stick he had enchanted at the Nightwing village during the aftermath of the cactus bomb. Turtle acknowledged his presence with a nod as Winter started using his frostbreath to put out the larger fires.

Several Night-Showers in the area began assisting him as he was the being the most effective fire-fighter. He would put out fires that got too close as they cleared the area around him and prevented the fire from starting back up. The heat was unbearable and the fire was only getting stronger as the main blaze kept getting closer and closer. Turtle's stick had begun to be ineffective at combating the flames so he instead kept Winter hydrated since he was faring the worst out of all of them due to the extreme heat.

Occasionally, flaming debris would fall out of the trees and one of the guards had been relegated to lookout duty to warn dragons before they were hit and seriously injured. They had been at it for the longest thirty minutes of Winter's life when he heard screams coming from the village. He and everybody with him looked back to see what the cause was. He didn't think the fire had gotten that far. It hadn't with their area, at least. Maybe without an Icewing with them the other groups hadn't fared as well.

Before he could really see what the cause of the screams was, Winter was tackled from behind by something heavy and felt unimaginable pain in his sides and back as he felt claws raking through his flesh. He opened his mouth in a silent scream.

Winter thought for sure that whoever was trying to kill him was about to clamp their jaws around his neck, but the weight disappeared as suddenly as it had come. A large brown mass had plowed into a much smaller Rainwing and they both went flying into and _through _a tree. The Rainwing didn't move as its neck was bent at an unnatural angle from hitting both the tree and the rock that was behind it. The large brown mass got up and stumbled slightly before turning around. Flint ran up to him, concern written on his face.

A Nightwing bigger than Flint dropped on the Mudwing's back, stunning him, and lunged at Winter, too. Winter tried moving out of the way but the pain from the deep lacerations on his back and sides prevented him from moving. Time seemed to slow down as the Nightwing closed the distance between them. Winter could see the sadistic satisfaction and malicious glee clearly on his face just as he could most likely see the fear on Winter's. Mere feet from when the two would collide and Winter was certain his life would end…again, a large spray of Rainwing venom came out of thin air and landed in the Nightwing's eyes.

He howled in pain as he impacted Winter. Several drops fell onto Winter's face and chest as the Nightwing made one last desperate attempt to sink his teeth into his neck. Winter raised his foreleg in defense and the Nightwing clamped down on it as he began his death throes. The pain Winter felt was unimaginable, and he could only imagine how much blood he was losing from the several injuries he had sustained. A few guards too slow to react to the initial attack killed the hostile Nightwing with a spear through the throat. Its jaws loosened immediately and Winter pulled his now mangled leg out of its mouth.

Kinkajou materialized from where the venom spray originated and ran up to Winter as Flint finally regained his senses. Once he saw that the threat had been taken care of, he began barking out orders over the steadily increasing roar of the flames, "TURTLE! PATCH UP WINTER WITH THAT ROCK OF YOURS! THE REST OF YOU, FORM A RING, WATCH EACH OTHERS' BACKS! WINTER IS THEIR TARGET! WE CAN'T LET THEM THROUGH!"

Blaze and Moon soon arrived and they both gasped at Winter's condition. He could see their fear plainly but the pain was already starting to lessen due to Turtle's rock. _I'll be okay, Moon. Bastard caught me off guard is all. _She seemed to accept this as her fear subsided slightly, but what she said next horrified him completely, "FLINT! WE HAVE TO DEFEND THE CIVILIANS! THE CHANGEWINGS ARE MOUNTING AN ASSAULT! THE FIRE IS ONLY A DIVERSION!"

"PRETTY DAMN GOOD ONE, TOO!" He pointed out three of the eight guards with them, "YOU THREE STAY HERE WITH TURTLE AND MOON! GET WINTER ON HIS FEET AND KEEP FIGHTING THIS FIRE! IT WON'T MEAN ANYTHING IF WE SAVE THE CIVILIANS FROM THE CHANGEWINGS ONLY FOR THE FIRE TO GET THEM!"

The nodded in affirmative as Blaze, Flint, Kinkajou, and the five guards ran back to the village. Turtle's rock was almost done doing its job by this point and Winter was on his feet fighting the fire shortly after that. What Flint said kept worming its way into Winter's mind as he refocused on the fire. _Why would I be their main target? Is it because I'm putting out the fire the fastest and most efficiently. Or is it because I've killed some of them before? Did I though? I CAN'T REMEMBER!_

He felt a steady paw on his shoulder and looked to see Moon looking at him with worry. The look she was giving him was reassurance enough. It said, 'I'm here for you' and he appreciated it more than words could explain. He had no memories and no voice and yet his friends were still with him. It made him feel a little less alone.

Several hours and two more assassination attempts later and the fire was contained and the attack repelled. At this point, Winter's lungs ached from the constant use of his frostbreath and the slightest irritation would send him into a coughing fit. Moon never left his side—lending her support in the form of soothing words and gestures.

Four dragons had tried to kill him and him alone. There was no mistaking their target now. It was…terrifying to know that an entire tribe of dragons wanted you dead. The worst part was that Winter didn't know why. For all he knew, he could have done something a lot more terrible than what his friends told him. _What if they are right in wanting me dead?_

Winter, Moon, and Turtle had rejoined their other friends in the village by now. He saw Moon's concerned look on her face after that thought. He could tell that she wanted to comfort him again but was herself uncomfortable doing so in front of so many dragons—even though they were friends. Guards and civilians alike lined the streets and applauded them as they walked through the village towards the Queen's pavilion, yet Winter couldn't help but see the devastation and death around him and think…

_Did we really win? Was all of this worth it?_ "No, I don't think it was," whispered Moon. He could see her struggling to hold back tears as she surveyed the area around them. Turtle and Kinkajou were likewise effected but took comfort in the fact that they were both safe and together. Flint kept looking back to Winter and Moon with concern written on his face. It was understandable with what just happened less than a day after Winter woke up from a year-long coma. Blaze kept stealing glances at him and Moon so close together, and he could see the beginnings of jealousy worming its way onto her face.

Surprisingly, Moon didn't react to it the way Winter would have thought once he noticed it. Instead, she became even more saddened. He knew why, so he decided to speak up—so to speak. _I won't leave you like this, Moon, so don't be afraid of that. I just…what if Qibli is still out there?_ "What if he isn't?" she whispered back. She looked up at him as the first few tears began falling, "My mother is dead, I never knew my father, I have no siblings, and Qibli is still missing after all this time," she sniffled before finishing, "I don't think I can be alone anymore."

He stopped and pulled her into his embrace—trying to comfort her as she had done for him—to which she buried her head in his chest and began sobbing. The others stopped upon hearing the sound of crying, and Winter motioned for them to keep going with his wing before wrapping it around her. Something about what she said rang a bell of familiarity within his mind and emotions he couldn't explain began welling up inside of him.

Dragons would stop and stare at the strange sight of an Icewing and Nightwing—dragons who have been at war with each other for thousands of years—in a seemingly intimate embrace. For all of the judgmental looks and disbelieving stares thrown his way, Winter found that he was right where he wanted to be.

Conflict once again arose within him. He loved Moon, and she knew he did, but he wasn't the only dragon out there who loved her. Qibli was still out there, and until Winter found a body, he would not give up hope for finding his friend and former rival alive and well. If Qibli was found alive, Winter wouldn't stand in his way. If they found his body, however, he would honor his friend's memory and take care of Moon for him. Whatever that meant, only time could reveal.

Moon's grasp on him only tightened as he continued on this line of thought as if to keep him with her forever. Eventually, Winter found the need to say something. _I love you, Moon._ She shuddered at the pure love and caring in his thoughts as much as at the words themselves. _I would give the world to be with you…but I would never steal someone else's girlfriend—especially a friend's. I want you to understand that, Moon. I can't be with you—not until we find his body._

She had calmed down significantly by this point and broke their embrace. She placed her paw over his heart and stared into his eyes with an affectionate smile, "I know. That's what makes you special. You would never take advantage of me or betray Qibli like that." He nodded, glad to know she understood. "Let's go find the others. We need to inform Glory of what happened."

He nodded again as he surveyed the area around them. _The devastation looks pretty bad. I just hope it __**looks**__ worse than it is._ Moon looked around herself before sighing, "We hadn't seen any sign of the Changewings for weeks now. I had hoped they were gone…" She looked away and spoke despairingly, "I guess it was wrong to have such foolish hope." Winter draped a wing over her in a comforting gesture. _It's never foolish to have hope, Moon. Do you know why?_ She looked up at him with a questioning look—silently asking him to continue. He smiled down at her. _Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today._

She looked at him surprised, "Where did _that_ come from?" His smile fell slightly and he thought for a moment. _I actually have no idea. The words just came out of nowhere. Strange…_

Winter saw a glint from out of his eye. It wasn't the kind made from metal or even glass, so his curiosity peaked and he looked to where he saw it in a tree not too far ahead of them. He saw a flash of white scales, and he stopped and stared at the spot where he saw it. There was an Icewing standing there. She was smiling at him.

"What are you looking at?" He looked over to Moon for a moment before looking back. She was gone. He gave a last, long look before walking again. _Nothing, Moon. I'm fine._ He could tell that she didn't really believe him, but she didn't question him. As they passed under the tree, Winter saw something else that he couldn't comprehend—a snowflake. It landed on his snout and left a small wet spot. For some reason, it gave him a heightened sense of security. Almost like someone was assuring him that everything would be alright.

That was crazy, though, right?

He didn't really know what was going on, but he couldn't dither right now. The others were waiting on them. They finally reached their destination and could hear Flint's voice from inside the pavilion where it originated. They entered quietly so as not to interrupt his debriefing—which, by the sound of it, was important.

"…Eleven confirmed targets, though we don't know who they were. For all we know, Raven and Deathbringers' imposters could have sat this attack out and are still out there. We've done a survey of the damage, too. Fourteen of our own have been killed and thirty-nine wounded. Three of those are in critical condition and won't last the night…" He looked over to Turtle, who understood the message since he left shortly afterward with a short glance of concern at Winter and Moon. "Relatives of the deceased have been notified and preparations are being made to give them their final rites."

Glory's expression had slowly fallen after hearing how many of her own had been injured or killed during this attack. The numbers dwarfed those of the Nightwing village bombing from over a year ago. Only five had died that night with just shy of two dozen being injured. It had looked much worse than it was that night. Kinkajou spoke up to ease her Queen's—and friend's—mind, "It could have been a lot worse, Glory. Those emergency drills you made everyone practice really came in handy."

Glory looked over to her and smiled slightly at the smaller Rainwing. "What of the destruction to the village, Captain?" the Queen asked shortly after.

A rather muscular Nightwing wearing an old set of armor—including a chest plate, helmet, and bracers—stepped forward to relay his report, "Minimal, thank the spirits," he began. Winter's ears perked up at the word 'spirit'. _Why does that sound so familiar?_ He didn't get a chance to ponder as the captain went on with his report, "The fire on the western side of the line was able to break through the line and several homes were burned down, but, thankfully, no one was in them. The eastern side was a weaker blaze due to the river, so it was much easier to put them out. The central part—where the hottest and most intense flames were—never made it close to the village. That Icewing saved a lot of lives out there due to his heroic actions. I wish I could thank him personally for saving the lives of my friends and family."

Glory smiled slightly and looked over at Winter, who was still in the back of the room, "Now's your chance, Captain. Winter is standing right there." She gestured over to where he was standing with Moon, and the Captain looked back and saw him.

He immediately made his way over to the flustered Icewing and bowed in respect, "Winter, I thank you. Without your aid, the fire would have overwhelmed our defenses and burned through the village, killing many innocents." He rose his head and looked Winter in the eye as he raised his fist over his heart in a salute.

Winter smiled and saluted back at the Captain before raising his claws for a claw-shake. The Captain smiled back at him and grabbed Winter's claw and gave it a shake before saying, "I, Secretfire, Captain of the elite Night-Shower guard, honor you, Winter of the Icewings. May the Ice be ever Resolute."

Winter recognized the ancient verse. In a scroll Winter read of ancient customs, there was mention of unique lines one was to use as a sign of utmost respect. There was one for each tribe, and the lines for the Nightwings and Rainwings were…_May the Night be ever Vigilant and the Rain be ever Tranquil._

Moon got the Captain's attention, "Captain?" He looked over to her with a questioning look, "Winter lost the ability to speak…" Secretfire looked exceedingly embarrassed before Moon continued, "but he wants me to tell you something: 'May the Night be ever Vigilant and the Rain be ever Tranquil'.

The Captain's smile grew wider and he bowed once more as he said one last thing before going to stand next to his Queen, "You are the most noble Icewing I have ever met, Winter. If only the rest of your tribe were like you…" He trailed off and turned away.

Winter could see the pride radiating from his friends' faces. Blaze was giving him an 'I told you so' look, and he snorted in slight amusement from her childish antics. The mood in the room had risen drastically after Winter's interaction with Secretfire.

That is, until another voice spoke up from the doorway, "Yeah, yeah, Winter's all that and a pile of mangoes…yadda, yadda, yadda. I believe I—"

He was cut off when the Queen stood up—fury written on her face, "WHERE WERE YOU!?" The Nightwing stopped and stood there with a raised brow. He looked familiar to Winter, but he couldn't quite put a name to the face. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING THE PERIMETER! BECAUSE YOU LEFT YOUR POST, MY VILLAGE AND MY FOREST WERE SET ON FIRE AND _BURNED_!"

"The fire actually burned stuff? You don't say!" His voice was dripping with sarcasm and it was clear this Nightwing didn't truly respect the Queen. There was a tense silence as the Captain, Queen, Kinkajou, and a few others looked at him with evident rage on their faces.

Moon, however, was the first to speak. She was angry at his disrespect, though clearly not as angry as the others, "Dragons died today, Darkstalker!" Winter whipped his head around to Moon with wide eyes before glaring hatefully at the dragon who almost wiped out his entire tribe.

Darkstalker's smugness faded slightly at the scolding tone of her voice, and he continued in a more serious manner, "Dragons die every day, Moon. It's part of life." Moon's expression darkened at his seeming disregard for those that died. "I didn't come here to disrespect the dead, though. There are some things even I won't do. What happened today was horrible. I know that. You can blame me all you want but know that I left my post for a good reason."

The Queen's anger had faded slightly, but Winter could tell that she was still extremely bitter over what happened. It was clear that Glory would take Darkstalker's advice and blame him for everything that happened. When she spoke, she had a biting tone to her voice, "What reason could you possibly have to justify the death of fourteen of my dragons?"

Darkstalker was silent for a moment as he took in the angered or hateful expressions of all those around him before smirking, "I know where the Changewing hideout is."

"That's impossible!" Everyone turned to Flint, who looked more bewildered than angry. "We've been looking for it for almost a year and haven't found anything! How did you find it!?"

Darkstalker turned to Flint with an accusing glare, "I did what you weren't willing to do! I saw a Changewing scouting out the village, so I ambushed him and MADE him tell me!"

Shocked gasps were heard around the room, "You tortured someone!?" shouted Moon.

He rolled his eyes, "Think what you will of me, but I do the hard things because no one else will! At least I actually got information that ten months of patrols couldn't! You think that you're putting yourselves above the enemy by showing them mercy, but what mercy would they ever show you!? If they ever captured one of you, you would be tortured for hours at a time, deprived of food, water, and sleep, and possibly even raped as they tried to break your will!"

He looked at the horrified faces in the room as his expression softened and he looked at Moon, "You may think that what I do is evil, and you're right. I'm a monster; I've done horrible things in my life, but I do them so no one else has to. I can never atone my sins, so why even try?" He looked back to the others in the room, "Even if all of you hate me, I will still do what you consider to be the wrong things, but I will do them for the right reasons."

The room was silent as everyone deliberated on Darkstalker's speech. Winter couldn't know what any of the others were thinking at the moment, but he did know what he himself thought. What Darkstalker did was a horrible thing to do to another living being, but he believed that there was some truth at least in his words. From Winter saw of these Changewings, he believed that Darkstalker was right when he said that they would do the same or worse to any dragon they caught.

It was a terrible thing to consider, and while his methods were extreme, at least they produced results. Winter wouldn't condone it nor would he condemn Darkstalker for doing what he thought was right. Not everything was black and white anymore. They might have to commit some morally questionable deeds by the end of their journey. _Desperate times and all that…_

"What exactly did you do with the Chagewing after you tortured it?" questioned Glory. Nods and looks were exchanged between dragons. It seemed they were as curious as Winter was.

"I killed it," was the simple reply. The slightly sympathetic faces they had after Darkstalker's mini-speech were replaced with anger once again. _That may have been going a bit too far. You can't just kill a defenseless prisoner._ Darkstalker snorted sarcastically, "Says the dragon who killed a defenseless prisoner." Moon inhaled sharply and looked between the two as Secretfire prepared himself to intervene if necessary due to the rising tension between the two.

Winter's face darkened at the connotation. _I. don't. remember. You can't hold that over me._ "Of course, I can. It's a good thing you can't remember, too. One of me is enough." His smugness had increased tenfold after that one simple statement. Winter's lip curled in anger. _Oh, how I want to claw that smug smile off of your face. _Darkstalker leaned his head closer and said in a daring voice, "Hit me with your best shot." Winter wanted to—oh, how he wanted to—but a single glance at Moon dissuaded him and he looked away. "That's what I thought," he said as his smile fell and Darkstalker gained a more serious look, "I always knew you were a coward."

Darkstalker had no time to react as Winter's fist flew into the side of his face and he stumbled back a few paces at the impact. Even though Winter had been in a coma for over a year and his muscles had deteriorated quite a bit because of it, Winter was still a fighter. He had spent his entire life trying to perfect himself through any means possible. While he couldn't hold a candle to Flint's massive frame, however, Winter was no pushover, so it took the Nightwing by surprise when he was actually hit with strength that belied the Icewing's current condition.

Darkstalker rubbed his sore jaw and smirked at Winter, "I didn't think you had it in you." He took a defiant step toward Winter, and he braced himself for an attack he was sure to follow.

However, before anything could escalate further, Flint stepped between them and fixed both of them with a stern glare, "That's enough! We have more than enough enemies already without you two trying to tear each other apart! Like it or not, you both have to work together! You may not like each other, but there comes a point where you have to grow up and get over yourselves!"

Winter backed down and nodded at his brother while Darkstalker rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, fearless leader."

The Queen was the next to break the silence, "If you two are done comparing sizes, can we get back on topic?" Everyone in the room was either shocked by what was said or was trying hard not to laugh. "Darkstalker, how do you know the information you got from that Changewing is accurate?"

"Yeah, especially since you already killed it!" was Kinkajou's input.

He gave one last annoyed glare at Winter and Flint before answering, "I made sure it was telling the truth before I killed it. I saw the base with my own eyes." There was a slight pause as he remembered something else, "Oh, I should probably also mention that Raven and Deathbringer were there, though I doubt they'll stay there for long since the attack failed."

Glory nodded as the door opened once again and Turtle stepped in, "Good timing, Turtle. I you seven to be ready to move out in twenty minutes. Captain, I want you to go with them." He bowed in response and saluted before he got up and began to leave. "I wish all of you luck. I want them taken care of…" She paused for emphasis, "Alive or dead."

Several of the gathered dragons looked at each other in uncertainty but didn't question the Queen's orders. Winter began following Flint and Moon out of the pavilion as Flint began a verbal checklist of things that they might need. Winter tuned him out since his thoughts were a jumbled mess right now. The one thing that bothered him most was that Flint was acting differently than normal. _Moon, what did Darkstalker mean when he called Flint 'fearless leader?'_

She smiled at him and relayed the question to Flint who looked down sheepishly, "I, uh, took over the role of leader after you were…rendered unavailable. I figured someone had to do it and that it shouldn't be too different than running the Sanctuary while you were gone." He shrugged, "I just did what I had to."

Instead of asking Moon to translate what he wanted to say, Winter decided to show him how proud he was. Winter held out a wing to halt the procession and smiled at Flint when the Mudwing looked up to find out why they had stopped. He wrapped his forelegs around Flint's bulk and showed his big brother just how proud he was of him.

Flint had been so afraid of leading after what had happened to his sisters that he had shied away from any kind of large responsibility. Now, Flint had regained some amount of confidence in himself that Winter himself couldn't dredge up over the long years they had known each other. Winter's memory may have been fractured, but there were some things that he would never forget.

_Winter and Flint had been traveling together for almost two years before the had decided to start working on the Sanctuary Winter had always dreamed of. At first, it had just been the two of them building the Sanctuary, but once word got to the Talons of Peace, Riptide had sent Winter his support in the form of a personal visit, resources, and a labor force to help complete the project. The complex had taken almost four months to build due to the shear cost and size of it, and the first scavengers weren't introduced for another month-and-a-half as finishing touches were being made._

_Mojave was the first of the group to show up, but for the first few months, Winter and Flint were the only two dragons working there. Flint had no problems with the manual labor during the building process, but as soon as the scavengers were introduced, Flint had lost his confidence…_

_Winter and Flint were in the observation room a month after the first group of scavengers had been settled in their pens. "I don't know about this, Winter. I don't think these things like me."_

_Winter looked over and smiled at his best friend in amusement, "We go through this every time, Flint. They're only scavengers."_

_Flint gestured to himself and spoke with as much sarcasm as he could muster, "Yeah, and I'm probably the strongest dragon on Pyrrhia! One wrong step, one misplaced sneeze and they're nothing but a smear!"_

_Winter took another long look at Flint's impressive muscles. He wasn't wrong. Winter and Flint had been in the Mud Kingdom during their famous week of games. The Mudwings called it the Festival of Strength. The other tribes called it Muscle Mania—for good reason, too. _

_After the war, many of the tribes had begun restoring lost traditions. Trade had begun flourishing once again between tribes. Strong alliances had formed between the Rainforest tribes and the Seawings as well as between the Mudwings, Skywings, and Sandwings. The Icewings still kept to themselves—no surprise there. The Sandwings started their annual merchant fest, the Skywings had an art fest, the Rainforest tribes had the Unification Day Festival. _

_The Mudwings, however, decided on a string of athletic games. There were agility-based games—such as flying and flexibility—and, more importantly, strength-based competitions. Sparring, boulder lifting—both on the ground and in the air, wrestling, and many kinds of events that would only make sense to a Mudwing. All tribes were welcome, of course, but there were very few non-Mudwings that were stupid enough to compete against the very best of the tribe who were known for their physical strength._

_Winter had dared Flint to enter, and he was very surprised when he agreed. Winter was aware of Flint's sizable strength, but he didn't think he would be able to compete with dragons twice as big as him. To say he was blown-away was an understatement when Flint not only finished every single game, but also placed first in total points at the end of the games._

_So, when Flint said he was probably the strongest dragon on Pyrrhia, he wasn't joking. However, Winter knew there was more to his friend than just his strength. Beneath the layers of rock-hard scales and corded muscles, Winter knew Flint had a soft inside. He sat down squarely in front of his friend and placed a paw on each of Flint's shoulder as he looked him in the eye, "So be gentle," he urged._

_Flint blinked in disbelief, "You realize who you're talking to, right? Gentle isn't really something that I'm capable of." He looked out of the window at the small creatures that were socializing with each other before looking down at his claws and clenching his fists, "These claws have only the strength to destroy—to rend the flesh from my enemies!" He curled his lip in disgust as Winter saw emotions begin to play across Flint's face. "And what good is that! I COULDN'T EVEN SAVE MY SISTERS!" He slammed his fist into and through the wall, causing the scavengers to look up in fear and scatter._

_This only served to upset the Mudwing more as his shoulders slumped in defeat. Winter looked upon his friend, upset at how his attempt at humor had gone so awry. They both struggled with their pasts, but Flint's pain was beyond what even Winter had ever experienced. To lose your entire family—to watch them murdered before your eyes without having the ability to do anything about it—and knowing that it was your decision that cost them their lives was something Winter could never understand._

_More importantly, he didn't WANT to understand it. _

_Flint's gaze had become vacant as he stared out into space and spoke in a mere whisper as memories Winter couldn't even begin to comprehend no doubt flashed before his eyes. "Why did it have to be them? Why couldn't they have taken me?" Flint's gaze once again focused on Winter as the first tears formed in his eyes, "I miss them so much, Winter!"_

_Winter reached forward and placed a comforting claw on Flint's shoulder, "I know you do, and while nothing I say can ever bring them back, maybe I can help with the pain." The Mudwing looked up with pleading eyes and nodded. Winter picked up one of Flint's forelegs and raised it so they could both see it. Flint's muscles tensed at the contact. The solidness that was all too easy to recognize was present, so Winter said, "Relax." The tenseness faded from his leg and their was an ever-so-subtle give to Flint's scales. "See, Flint, there is a softness there."_

_Flint snorted and rolled his eyes, "Not much. What's your point, Winter?"_

"_Look around you, Flint. You claim that your claws know only destruction, but you helped build this Sanctuary. You helped create this massive building with your own claws. You claim that they can only kill your enemies, but they can also protect those you care about. But the softness I was talking about isn't here…" Winter moved his claw from Flint's leg to his chest above his heart, "…It's in here. You may be the strongest dragon on Pyrrhia, but you have one of the kindest hearts of any dragon I know. You ARE gentle, Flint. You just have to believe in yourself."_

_Flint raised his leg to look at it once again, "I guess I never thought about them like that. I always thought that my strength was a curse. I mean, sure I can pound any dragon into the ground, but they limit my mobility. I can't move as fast because of them, and I always thought that's what killed my sisters. If I had only been a little faster…" He trailed off and shook his head as he looked back at Winter, "It doesn't matter, though, does it? It is what it is, after all. What's that line that dragons say sometimes about true strength?"_

_Winter thought for a moment before the line Flint meant popped into his head, "'True strength isn't the measure of one's agility, endurance, or physical strength, but rather the compassion, mercy, and love in one's heart.'" Winter smiled at his friend, "Whoever said that line must have been talking about you."_

_Flint smiled back, "Yeah, maybe so." He looked at the hole in the wall, "I should probably fix that, first. Then, we can build our bonds with those scavengers." _

_Winter nodded, and that's what they did. After that single conversation, Flint had found at least some of his self-confidence. He had begun to heal, finally, after years of suffering._

Flint backed away from the hug after a solid thirty seconds, "I don't need words to know that you're proud of me, Winter." He smiled before gesturing for the group to continue, which they did. There was silence for several minutes until Flint spoke again, seriously this time, "Winter, promise me that you'll stay next to me while we're out there." Winter looked at him questioningly, to which Flint replied sullenly, "I dug your grave once. I don't want to do it again."

Winter looked down in regret. _I can't imagine how hard that was for you. I never wanted any of this to happen._ Moon translated for him and Flint took a deep breath before looking at the others in the group. They were trying their best not to listen in on a personal conversation, but it was obvious they still heard some stuff, "Listen, why don't we talk about this later. We both need to be focused for day ahead, so we can't let our emotions distract us. Just please, promise me that you'll stay next to me. They want you dead, and I can't protect you if you stray too far away."

If anyone else had said that to Winter, he would have been slightly offended by the connotation behind it. However, Winter knew that Flint was only trying to look out for him, so he nodded in agreement. Flint's smile returned, knowing that he would be next to his brother and protecting him while in enemy territory.

They arrived at the gate to the village where Secretfire was waiting for them with a small stack of supplies. There was food, water, rope, and a few other essentials that were divvied up between the group, "All right," the Captain spoke, "You all may be so-called heroes to the dragons in this village, but out there I'm in charge. You do what I say when I say it. Do you understand?"

He received nods from everyone except from Darkstalker. They both had a short staring contest before Darkstalker rolled his eyes and gave a short, "Fine." After that the Captain ordered the gates be opened and the group set out into the wilderness. They stayed on foot in order to remain as quiet as possible. Wingbeats may give away their position to any hostiles waiting for them.

As they walked through the rainforest, the noises brought some comfort to them as they knew that silence was a bad indication. Winter couldn't help but be somewhat nervous as his gaze switched directions as fast as a Mudwing gobbled up food. Flint's presence helped ease some of his worries since any dragon would be hard-pressed trying to get through the mountain of muscle walking next to him. Not only did Flint have the means to keep enemies at bay, but he also had the motivation. He wouldn't let anyone lay a hostile claw on his brother.

The part that had Winter worried was that they didn't actually know how many Changewings were left in the rainforest. There could be just the two of them there, or there could be several dozen still in the hideout waiting for them. Secretfire ordered Darkstalker to take the lead, and he, of course, grumbled about being ordered around but didn't say anything else.

As the minutes turned to hours, Darkstalker informed the rest of the group that they were getting close—maybe another two miles to go. Winter could see as well as feel the tension and nervousness in the air. This was it—the final battle. After these Changewings were defeated, the rainforest would once again be safe.

They came upon the entrance to a cave, and the group stopped at the Captain's signal—except Darkstalker. Winter could see the clear anger apparent on his face, but he couldn't risk yelling out and potentially compromising their position, so he just motioned for the rest of them to continue.

It didn't take long for the natural light of the outside to be replaced by the shadows caused by moon globes mounted on the walls. This cave went deep. In fact, it wasn't a single cave but an entire system as they found out upon reaching the first fork in their path. One went straight while the other turned to the right.

Secretfire counted everyone present and began whispering since even the slightest noise would probably echo for miles in these caves, "All right, since there's eight of us, we'll split up four and four. Flint, you, Darkstalker, Kinkajou, and Turtle go straight while me, Winter, Blaze, and Moon go right."

The others began getting into their respective groups while Flint and Winter stayed put. He had sworn to Flint that he would stay by his side, and that's exactly what he planned to do. The Captain motioned for Winter to come on, but Flint put his paw on his shoulder and shook his head, "Winter's going with me, end of story."

Secretfire face-palmed and Darkstalker snorted in amusement at the bewildered expression on his face, "Do they not teach you the meaning of 'following orders' where you're from!? Winter comes with me."

Winter met Flint's gaze before the Mudwing looked back at the Captain, "No, he comes with me, or we're not going." His voice was calm, but something about Flint's tone was ringing alarms in Winter's head. Since they could read minds, he was sure both Moon and Darkstalker noticed something off, too.

The Captain hung his head in defeat, "Fine, you can join my group and Blaze can go with the other group." Flint's gaze switched between the two paths before it landed on Winter with an urgent look. Something was wrong. _Did either of you notice how all of the fighters are in one group?_ Neither of them responded, of course, but Darkstalker's narrowed gaze told Winter all he needed to know.

Flint took another long pause, "How about Winter comes with me in my group, and you can take Turtle?" He fixed the Seawing with a look before Turtle nodded.

Winter caught the briefest and minutest flash of uncertainty before it was covered up with annoyance, "Alright, fine, I suppose that'll work. Let's get moving, we don't have time to waste." The Captain and his group began walking down the right path. _Moon, tell Turtle to do what he has to if things go south._

Flint and his group started walking straight before the Mudwing turned to Kinkajou, "Go keep an eye on him. I don't trust him." She nodded, seeming to understand the gravity of his implications and camouflaged herself as soft clawsteps could be heard going off in that direction.

Darkstalker was the next to speak, "You realize that they are probably walking into a trap?" he asked.

Flint nodded and turned to the Nightwing, "I think we're all walking into a trap." Darkstalker's gaze went forward again, "Now, we're springing it on our terms instead of theirs."

They walked in silence for several minutes as they listened for any signs of hostile activity. The longer they walker, the more uncomfortable Winter became. While he and Darkstalker weren't on the best of terms, he knew the Nightwing wouldn't put his pride ahead of the mission, so he decided to ask him a question. _It's obvious that they wanted to split us up. _Darkstalker's head turned to him as a sign that he was listening. _If Secretfire is one of them, why exactly did we let him take the others down the path that he wanted me to go down? If I am their target, it would make sense that they were waiting down the other tunnel. They would take out the weaker targets before going down this tunnel—which is probably a dead end—trapping us down there, making us easier to kill._

Darkstalker turned his gaze forward after Winter's tactical analysis and nodded, "That's what I was thinking, too. If it was up to me, I would have attacked first and asked questions later, but I suppose I understand Flint's reasons for letting him go. If we took him out, the other two would be alerted, and they might have an escape route we don't know about. Then, they would escape and keep terrorizing the rainforest." He stopped Flint with a wing, "I know you are a good leader since I've been allowed to work with you and the others, but down here is different. You can't give them mercy because they won't give you any. If you see them, kill them…because they'll kill you if you don't."

Winter was surprised when Flint nodded, "I understand, but my priority is to protect Winter."

Darkstalker glanced at Winter before looking back at Flint, "Would you sacrifice the lives of innocent civilians for one dragon? While I understand the bond between siblings, sometimes sacrifices have to be made to protect others."

Flint used his claws to remove Darkstalker's paw from his shoulder, "That's the difference between me and you, Darkstalker. I want to save everyone. You just assume that everyone can't be saved, so you don't even try."

Darkstalker's eyes narrowed, "You say that now, but when you've seen and experienced the things that I have…" He trailed off for a second before shaking his head, "Let's move, we've wasted enough time."

They walked through the cave for another ten minutes before reaching a large, open room so massive, it should have been impossible for it to be so close to the surface, unless…

"There must have been a slight slope down the hallway," Flint said. "There's no telling how far down we actually are."

"About half-a-mile." Winter, Flint, and Darkstalker all looked around for the source of the voice, but the moon globes didn't illuminate the room very well and there were many shadows in the cave. "I have to say I didn't expect you to be alive, Winter. I was sure I killed you all those months ago."

There was a flash from near the ceiling and Flint jumped to the side as a chakram embedded itself in the cave floor. "Ooh, so close! It makes we wonder, though. Why have you appeared again after so long? Where have you been?" Another glint. This time Darkstalker jumped backward to avoid it. _Where is he coming from? He could be anywhere?_

Darkstalker dodged another chakram and bumped into Winter, causing the Icewing to stumble, before catching him and whispering in his ear, "I know exactly where he is. I'm just biding time. Keep your eyes up and keep moving." Winter was pushed to the side as another chakram slammed into the spot where he was just standing.

A pained yell pierced the air when one of the chakrams embedded itself in Flint's side, "Finally, got one! I wonder if Raven is having this much fun? Maybe I could join her when I'm done here."

A pained sound emitted from Winter's throat as a chakram hit him in the thigh, "WINTER!" Flint made his way over to the downed Icewing as another chakram hit him in the shoulder and another in his back. Flint draped himself over Winter to protect him.

They heard an exasperated sigh from the ceiling, "Flint, you're ruining the game. It's no fun if you don't move. Besides, your blocking my primary target." Deathbringer landed on the ground next to them and Darkstalker tried to attack, but a pillar of earth shot out of the ground and launched him across the room.

A groan was heard where Darkstalker landed, "How did I miss that?" His voice was pained, yet he tried to stand. Another pained yell was heard, "I think it broke a few of my ribs!"

A laugh was heard, "WOW! You Pyrrhian dragons aren't anything special, but your animus dragons…I have to say I could get used to this!" _What is he talking about!? Is he an animus now!?_ There was a glint of metal as the Nightwing stepped into the light. Winter saw that he was wearing iron bracers on his forelegs that had an unnatural gleam to them, "I'll have to thank that Seawing princess—Anemone, I think—for this amazing gift."

Flint growled in anger, "What did you do to her!?" His voice was pained and shaky. Winter could feel the puddle of Flint's blood growing around him. The chakrams hadn't hit anywhere fatal, but they were still deep wounds. If Flint didn't get help, he would eventually bleed out.

"Me? Oh, I didn't do anything to her. She's not in my 'jurisdiction.' However, your pal Deathbringer put up one hell of a fight, I'll tell you that much." 'Deathbringer' smirked at the waves of rage coming off of the two of them.

"I swear if you hurt him…"

"You'll what? Kill me? I'm afraid you won't be able to do that while you're dead." The bracers on the Nightwing's forelegs began glowing slightly as another pillar of earth shot up and launched Flint across the room where he landed atop Darkstalker, "Hey! I should get extra points for that!" He turned back to Winter while wearing the signature smirk he had come to recognize from Deathbringer. The Nightwing placed his right paw on the ground. Stone shackles formed around his limbs and wings, and he drew forth a stone stake, "Sorry, Winter. It's not personal. It's just good business."

As the stake raced on its track towards Winter's heart, time seemed to slow as his mind fired on all cylinders. There was no way to dodge out of the way, and even if there were, 'Deathbringer' could just kill him with his animus-touched bracers. Both Flint and Darkstalker were most likely down for the count, so there was nothing left to do besides close his eyes and surrender to his fate.

He couldn't help but think to himself that he failed everyone who counted on him. There was no telling what happened to the other group. If Raven had something similar, she could have killed everyone else. Even if Turtle had stopped her, Secretfire was most likely one of them, and could have taken them by surprise. If everyone died, it would have been his fault.

Worst of all, though, is that he would never see the dragons he cared about again. He would never see Flint, Moon, Blaze, Turtle, Kinkajou, Peril, Qibli, Thorn, Glory, Deathbringer, and everyone else who meant something to him. Not to mention the tens of thousands of innocent Pyrrhians that the Changewings would oppress. _I just wish I could have saved them._

"Is that what you truly wish?" Winter opened his eyes and saw a ghost-like figure of an Icewing female. The surrounding area had a blue-tint to it and time seemed to have stopped as 'Deathbringer' wasn't moving and the stake was inches from his heart. "Do you wish to save those who can't save themselves?"

Winter went to answer and before he realized it, his mouth was moving automatically in answer, "Yes."

The Icewing ghost nodded, "Then prepare yourself, Winter, for your chance has arrived." She walked up to him and placed a paw on his brow.

All of the fractured memories began repairing themselves and he remembered everything from before—including the conversation with, "Aurora?" She smiled kindly at him. "Why did you do that to me?"

"I sensed all of your doubt the last time we spoke and decided to test you. You awoke with little to no memory of before, yet you did what you thought was right and helped dragons before you thought about helping yourself. You couldn't speak, yet still dragons would heed your voice. You are a natural leader, Winter. You always were and always will be." She turned to leave, but Winter called out to her.

"Hey! Give me something—anything—to go on! I can't do this by myself! I need help! I need YOUR help!" He pleaded with her.

She looked away as she answered, "When all seems lost, and there is nowhere else to go, turn left." She smirked as her form disappeared and time began its normal pace.

He thought for sure that his time was at an end, yet he heard a voice he had never been happier to hear yell out, "STAKE, TURN TO SAND!" It did so, and the would-be murderer looked up in panic. Winter turned to the entrance to the cave and saw all of his other friends there along with Turtle. "SHACKLES, BREAK!"

Winter felt the stones around his legs and wings break and back-handed the stunned Nightwing off of him before using his tail to sweep his legs out from under him causing 'Deathbringer' to fall to the ground. Winter jumped on top of him—pinning his back legs and tail—and tried biting down on his neck, but only succeeded in biting the foreleg that he put up in defense. The Nightwing's other paw came up and kept clawing at the side of his neck. Pain kept lancing down his body from the new lacerations on his neck and the chakram still embedded in his thigh, but he wouldn't let go.

As a last resort, the Nightwing imposter used the animus-touched bracers to slam another pillar of earth into Winter's side. It caused Winter to go flying, but it also caused half of the leg muscle he was biting to go with him. He screamed in pain from his mangled leg, and even more so when Kinkajou sprayed her venom into his open wound and Blaze stabbed him in the heart with her tail barb.

He died in mere seconds.

Winter was able to take one last look at his friends. All of them carried wounds of some sort that Turtle's river rock alone couldn't heal. Blaze had yet another chakram in her foreleg where he remembered she got sliced before the whole 'he died' ordeal. He could see Flint's unconscious form as well as Darkstalker's semi-conscious form trying his best not to pass out.

The last thing he did before losing consciousness due to the pain from at least four broken ribs was say, "Save my brother."

**AN: That was a long drum roll. :P**

**All right, the winner is...CATACLYSM by BizmuthTheRainwing! Congratulations, in addition to having your submitted character featured in the popular new story Dragons Change by AdmiralCole22, you also get a grand prize of 10,000 dollars...and... A NEW CAR!**

**No not really. Did anyone else read that like a game show host? I did. XD**

**Now, I'll have to ask you some questions now and again, Bizmuth, so I get her character right, so I might be sending you some PMs now and again. The major thing I forgot to mention is that your character will be featured as a main character in the story, not as a side character or cameo. If you don't like that, say so. I'm not going to use anyone's character in a role they don't want them to be in.**

**To everyone else who submitted a character, I appreciate the time you spent working on these character concepts and I might put in some cameos of the OCs you submitted. If you don't want me to, say so. Otherwise, I'll assume it's okay. You spent your time making them, so it just seems fair for me to use them. After all, it means a lot when the readers take an active stance in the story. This is being written by me but for you. Your voice has more weight to it than you might think. Any ideas, concepts, characters (canon or non-canon), you want to see, say so. All it takes is a quick review. I've already been asked for Starflight and Fatespeaker to make an appearance, so they will eventually.**

**Next chapter will be up near the middle of May, most likely, so...**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	10. Chapter 9

Dragons Change

**AN: Finally got this one done! It's mostly filler which is why it took so long. No action usually means no motivation for me, but I got it done. I hope that it is everything that you all have been waiting for. Once it was done, I actually enjoyed reading it, but writing it was a whole 'nother story.**

**In any event, it's done. There's a whole bunch of Winterwatcher fluff and emotions so thick you'd have to cut through it with a machete, so maybe you guys'll forgive me?**

**Please?**

**ATTENTION: Near the end is a bold asterisk, it is there to mark where you should start playing the song May it Be by Enya. Yes, it is from Lord of the Rings. Don't judge me! I've been on a Tolkien phase for the past couple of weeks. I found that the music fits rather well with the part.**

**In other news, our new Skywing friend, Cataclysm makes her debut appearance. I hope I wrote her well, but it is your job, Bizmuth, to correct me if you want her to be different than I wrote her. It's your character after all.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint and Aurora belong to me. Cataclysm the Skywing belongs to BizmuthTheRainwing. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 9:

He felt more than saw the difference in environment from where he last remembered being. He felt warmth from the sun on his side from a window somewhere to his right, and he could smell the flowers from the rainforest instead of the damp, dankness of that cave. He knew his eyes were open yet he couldn't see anything. _Great, am I blind now? What else is going to happen to me?_

He heard an amused chuckle on his side, "You're not blind, Winter. You just have a cover over your eyes to help with the headache." He was about to ask what headache when he felt it wash over him like a wave and his head flopped back on the bed with a groan. "Sorry for making you think about it."

He just grunted in response. He would have been content to leave it at that when memories of what happened filtered into his mind, and he sat up through the pain in both his head and his chest to speak through gritted teeth, "Where's Flint?"

There was silence for several seconds before the cloth fell off of Winter's eyes, and he saw her shocked expression, "YOU CAN SPEAK AGAIN!?" He cringed at the volume of her shout before she took on a sheepish expression and mumbled an apology, "Sorry, its just, I thought…" She trailed off. She looked down and shut her eyes as her breath hitched and she let out a choked sob.

It was so sudden that Winter didn't expect it. One second, she was fine and the next… He didn't even know what was wrong. He just sat there in stunned silence before he asked, "What's wrong, Moon?" He wanted to drape a wing over her but every single move he made sent lances of pain through his entire body and made it hard to breathe—not to mention the fact that it made his headache worse, too.

She calmed down slightly and sniffled before answering, "I thought that I would never hear your voice again." She looked down—in shame or embarrassment, he couldn't tell—and continued, "I missed your voice. I missed YOU, Winter." She looked into his eyes. The amount of sadness in her eyes took his breath away. "I missed your kindness. I missed how you care for your friends before you care for yourself. I missed the sound of your laugh, Winter." His eyes were wide from her confession. Every pain in his body dulled as if they knew that whatever she was about to say was more important. "I came in here every day for fourteen months watching your motionless body, losing hope day after day that you would ever wake up.

"Do you know what that's like!?" He shook his head. Tears were beginning to form in his own eyes because he knew what was coming. He had both craved and dreaded this moment from the day she arrived at the Sanctuary cold, alone, and afraid, "When you woke up, I thought that everything would be okay now that you were back, but it wasn't!" She shook her head, sending tears splattering onto his scales, "It wasn't! You didn't remember anything! You couldn't speak! Do you know how devastated I was!? You were back, but at what cost!? As time went by, I realized how different you were. You were afraid, confused—not at all like the Winter I remembered."

"Moon—" he tried to start but stopped. He was on the verge of tears himself, and he was trying his best to hold them back but as she went on, it became more difficult.

"The others tried to help—to fill the void. Flint took over as leader, and he did a good job, but he wasn't you. Turtle, and even Darkstalker, wanted to help you wake up somehow, but they feared that you wouldn't be the same. My mother is dead, Winter, and I don't know what happened to Qibli. I have no idea what I would do if he came back because I—" She broke down into tears again as she tried to finish, "I—"

"Moon—" He tried reaching out to her and she clasped his paws into her own. He was pleading with her internally not to say it. As much as he wanted to hear her say the words, it would only cause more pain for the both of them.

She looked into his eyes and whispered the one thing he both wanted and feared, "I love you."

He closed his eyes as one part of his mind reveled in the moment and the other part silently screamed in frustration, "Moon, you promised that we would wait."

She shook her head frantically, "No! No, you weren't yourself!"

"Maybe not, but I remember everything that happened. You promised me, Moon." He squeezed her claws in a show of silent support as she looked away—this time he could tell it was in shame.

"I don't want to wait anymore. Qibli's gone, Winter. We'll probably never find him. Why can't you accept that?" It wasn't said in malice or derision. She honestly wanted to know.

"It doesn't feel right. I feel like I'm stealing you from him, and I'm not that kind of dragon." He looked up as he heard clawsteps coming towards them. Turtle was standing in the door hesitantly upon seeing the sight before him.

She gently used a claw to move his gaze back to hers, "He's gone, Winter. I've moved on. You need to, as well. I'm ready for this."

He looked down and shut his eyes, conflicted. Of course, he wanted to be with her. She was the most amazing dragoness that he had ever met. Something deep in his mind held him back, though. He didn't know what it was—his conscience, perhaps—but it just wouldn't go away. He opened his eyes to see that Turtle was still standing in the door. Whatever he wanted must have been important. He looked back at Moon with a lowered head, "Can you give me some time to think, Moon?"

She nodded, "Of course, Winter. I don't want to make you uncomfortable by rushing things." She lowered her head until their foreheads touched. Winter's gaze flicked up to her but didn't pull away as she smiled, "We don't have to go any farther if you're not ready."

He smiled, too. _You make it sound like we're already a couple._ Her smile faded slightly at his connotation. _It's okay, though. I know what you meant._ "Did you need something, Turtle?" he asked as the two of them separated.

The Seawing perked up as he heard his name and he walked forward slowly, "I was supposed to bring you to the Queen when you woke up, but I need to talk to you, too." He paused before Winter motioned for him to continue, "What happened in that cave, Winter?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Before that, though, where's Flint?" Winter's gaze left no room for argument. He wasn't going to let the topic be changed this time.

"He and Darkstalker are fine. I've patched up everybody that needed it except you. I was waiting until you woke up to find out what I needed to do." Winter's eyes narrowed. Turtle hadn't answered his question. The Seawing shrunk back slightly at the glare he received before answering, "He's talking with that Changewing, Praetor."

"Alright, patch me up so I can go find him." He sat up with gritted teeth to better expose his ribs.

"No, Winter, we need to talk first. Can you give us a minute, Moon?" he started to argue. Moon looked between Turtle's slightly hesitant face and Winter's slightly annoyed expression before getting up and walking out of the hut. Turtle reached into a satchel that he had around his neck and pulled out two iron bracers. _Wait a minute…_ "What did he say about my sister?"

Winter's expression immediately softened. _That's why he's so upset._ "He was kind of vague. All he said was that he got those bracers from Anemone. He didn't say if she was in danger or anything else, but…"

"But if he had these, we should assume that she is," Turtle finished. "We need to go to the Sea Kingdom, Winter. We can't let them use my sister like a weapon."

Winter could see how distressed he was at the sudden turn of events, so he nodded, "As soon as we can, we'll go." It was kind of a vague answer, but Turtle seemed to accept his answer as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. I found some letters and stuff in the Changewing hideout. I'm still going through all of them, but I'll let you know if I find anything of importance while we finish up here." Winter nodded before sighing in relief as Turtle walked up and used a spell to heal Winter's ribs after he told the Seawing what the problem was. _For the first time since starting this, we might have some real intel on the Changewings and their operation._

His smile faded, though, as Turtle left and he saw Moon outside of the doorway. Now, he had to figure out what to do regarding the two of them. He couldn't think about that right now, though. The Queen was waiting for him.

He got up and made his way to the door before seeing another snowflake fall on his nose. He scrunched his nose upon contact before looking out into the trees. Winter didn't see anything, but he knew in his heart that she was watching him. Moon looked at him questioningly before he shook his head and started walking towards the Queen's pavilion. For some reason, the rainforest itself seemed brighter as if the Changewing's presence cast a shade that had finally been removed. There were less guards roaming the village as Rainwings and Nightwings alike cleaned up the burned area left over from the previous attack.

Even though it wasn't even close to the way it was before, there were more smiles and more laughter than he remembered from the last few days. "Moon?" He asked, and she looked over to him with curiosity, "Does this mean we won?"

She looked at the scene around them and smiled slightly at the newfound happiness in the village before frowning again, "We saved the rainforest, yes, but it came at a cost." Her gaze shifted to a group of three dragonets who were roaming the village with downcast faces. Winter recognized one of them—a male Nightwing who couldn't have been more than five years old. He had been crying over the body of his father the night the Nightwing village was bombed. "Innocent dragons died, Winter. Too many dragons suffered for too long, and still more continue to suffer even after their oppressors are gone."

She shook her head in sadness, "Darkstalker was right. No matter how hard we try, we can't save everybody."

He looked over at her in surprised silence. "Maybe not. Maybe we can't save everybody." She looked up at him, equally surprised, as his expression shifted to one of determination, "But I'm going to try anyway."

She didn't get a chance to reply as they had already made it to the pavilion. They looked at each other before nodding simultaneously and walking in. "Turtle said that you wanted to see me?" Winter asked the Queen when she looked over to them upon their entrance.

"Yes. I don't suppose you saw something the others didn't while in the caves?" Her expression was hopeful, and it didn't take a genius to know what she really meant.

"No, Your Majesty, I didn't see Deathbringer or any of the other missing dragons." Her face fell at that, "Turtle found some documents, though, so maybe they'll have something in them." She sighed and nodded slightly at his attempt to console her.

"I wanted to let you know personally, that the blockade around the rainforest has been lessened. Dragons are now free to enter and exit as long as they are inspected first. Any dragon caught trying to sneak into or out of the Kingdom will be imprisoned and questioned." She paused and got up before walking directly in front of the Icewing. "I know that this didn't end the way we wanted. Too many are missing or dead and too much was destroyed, but I want you to know that you have my personal thanks. Without you and the others arriving when you did and doing the things you have; things could have been much worse." Her scales remained a neutral green color, even as she reached forward and brought the startled Icewing into an embrace to which he gladly returned after a moment's hesitation.

This whole string of events had been difficult for everybody but even more so for the relatively young and inexperienced Rainwing Queen. She had never had to lead her tribes through such dark times before and it was a shocking realization that crushed any semblance of normality in her daily routine. Her Kingdom was infiltrated and besieged, her subjects slaughtered or abducted—including her own husband—and her home burned. Honestly, Winter was surprised that she was holding up as well as she was. He admired Glory for her inner strength.

Though, after everything that's happened, her strength was waning.

He knew that she was hurting, but he needed her to remain strong. The Changewings took advantage of the weak and helpless. If Glory didn't remain strong, it was only a matter of time before they came back. He was the first to pull back, and he put a paw on her shoulder and looked deep into her eyes. She needed his help right now.

And he would give it. By some unspoken word, Glory seemed to understand his look and motioned for everyone to clear the room. When everyone had left—including Moon when he asked her to—he began his little speech, "After everything that you have done for me, I consider you to be my friend, Glory, just as I consider Deathbringer to be my friend. I will find him and bring him back, no matter how long it takes. You have my word. Stay strong…for him."

She nodded as fierce determination overtook her features and she spoke through grit teeth and barely suppressed rage, "If they hurt him, I want you to drag those responsible back here so they can understand my pain!"

He nodded before saying, "Just remember the advice that you once gave me. Don't lose yourself to the hatred." He put his paw on her shoulder in a show of support. With that, he turned and walked away.

He emerged once again into the outside sunlight. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. When he opened his eyes, he saw Aurora standing on a platform looking in a certain direction before looking back at him and nodding. A Nightwing landed in front of her without them noticing her presence. When the Nightwing moved, she was no longer there.

"Where to next?" came a distinct voice next to him. He looked over and saw that Moon wasn't even suspicious of Aurora's presence. She cocked her head slightly in confusion, "Are you okay, Winter? You keep spacing out."

He shook his head and smiled at her, "I'm fine, just…thinking." He began walking to where he remembered Praetor's hut being. "I think that it's time to talk with Praetor. Something tells me we'll need his help." She nodded before taking a position on his right side when he began walking that way.

It was a short, peaceful walk to Praetor's hut, and the two of them didn't make any kind of conversation. They merely enjoyed each other's company. More than a few dragons would smile or say thanks to the two of them as they passed. It made him feel good.

It wasn't long before the two of them made it to the hut and heard Flint's deep voice drifting from inside. He sounded…happy, like he was enjoying himself for the first time in a long time. He stopped outside the door—which wasn't guarded anymore—and listened with a sad smile as the sound of Flint's laugh was heard by the two of them. "It's been too long since I heard him laugh," he whispered to Moon. "Even before this whole mess happened, he was always downcast because of me and my depression." He shook his head and sighed before walking in with a slightly forced smile as another round of laughter was heard.

The room was mostly the same as last time. Some of the furniture had been moved out of the way for the two dragons that occupied the room. Flint was there, of course, along with the Changewing, Praetor. The sight of the strange dragon still unsettled him, but he was getting used to it. He didn't know whether that was a good thing or bad thing.

The laughter stopped and both dragons looked toward their new guest—one with a larger smile than the other. "Winter!" The Mudwing ran up to his brother and brought him into a warm embrace to which he gladly returned. "Nice to see that an animus-powered super-dragon couldn't keep you down!"

"I could say the same to you," he fired back, his smile now genuine. Flint's eyes opened wide and he looked at the smaller Icewing in complete shock. "Yeah, I got my voice back…and my memories," he replied to his dumbfounded stare.

The Mudwing shook himself from his stupor and he shrugged as his smile grew bigger, "I'm not even going to question it. I'm just happy that you're back."

Winter nodded and looked to the Changewing that was observing their interaction with curiosity. "I find it fascinating that two dragons from different tribes can be so close. I would love to hear your story at some point."

Winter broke out of Flint's arms and faced the Changewing. "You once offered your help to stop those you used to serve. Are you still willing to do that?"

Praetor looked out of the window at the devastation that was clearly visible from the hut. Praetor was silent for well over a minute before speaking, "You've seen what they are capable of. If I don't try to stop them, who else will?"

Winter nodded. He could tell when a dragon was lying, but from all of the signs, Praetor was being sincere. "Before I agree, I need you to tell me everything you remember of the Changewing's plans in the Sky Kingdom."

"It's been so long since I've been there so things are bound to have changed, but I'll tell you what I remember. Most low-level operatives—like me—don't know the identities of many other operatives or high-level plans, but…you hear things. All I know is that it has something to do with Prince Cliff." The Changewing shook his head in regret, "Beyond that, I don't know. I'm sorry."

"Prince Cliff is still alive, though," came Moon's voice from outside. "Glory sent out couriers as soon as word reached her of the Changewings' defeat. They came back yesterday with all of the most pressing news."

"That would have been helpful to know a few hours ago," Winter rolled his eyes. "Anything else I need to know?"

"I'll tell you all of the juicy bits later," she poked her head in and smiled at him. He didn't think too much into it since he had a more pressing conversation.

"Now, I'm not the most political dragon out there," Flint began. "…but I do know that Prince Cliff is Queen Ruby's entire world. If the Prince were to die or go missing…" He looked over to Winter uncomfortably.

"Then Queen Ruby would be devastated and the Sky Kingdom would fall into chaos…making a Changewing takeover that much easier." He looked over at Praetor, "We can't let that happen."

"I agree, but I can't help you like this," Praetor looked between the two of them with an expecting look. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but I have to ask. May I have my earring?"

Winter looked up to Flint who looked over to Praetor who was looking back at him. Then, they heard a new voice, "I took the liberty of 'borrowing' it from Glory and since I already know that you're going to say yes…" Darkstalker stepped through the door and handed a copper earring with a studded ruby to Praetor. _Where did he come from?_ Winter wondered. Darkstalker looked at him out of the corner of his eye and smirked.

The Changewing took the earring from Darkstalker's paw carefully and held it before their eyes and smiled before attaching it onto their left ear. Just as before, the scales started shifting and changing into a red color with a more coppery undertone—a Skywing, then—the wings became larger, their body lengthened, and a previously unnoticed scar began appearing in a spiral fashion on its right foreleg. The eyes took on a coppery color to finish off the transformation. The whole thing took just under a minute-and-a-half.

Winter watched the whole thing and came to a quick conclusion. Though Praetor was an undoubtedly male name and Winter had thought of him that way, HE was actually a SHE. A very attractive she at that. Winter gasped in pain when he was elbowed in the ribs quite hard and looked down to see Moon looking at him with slight anger. He shrugged in response. _I can't help it Moon, I'm still a male._ She rolled her eyes and scoffed in exasperation.

"So how do I look?" The Skywing asked as she looked over her new body.

Winter shrugged as he looked over to Flint who was smiling at the new Skywing, "You look great, what do you think Winter?" He looked over to the mentioned Icewing.

Winter nodded with a smile, "Ravishing." He received another elbow in the ribs for that comment and he chuckled at Moon's steely glare. "Though, I don't suppose that your name is Praetor anymore, is it?"

She smiled and shook her head, "Nope! My name is Cataclysm from now on!" She was very exuberant and outgoing—unlike her previous form. _The earring must effect more than just appearances, _Winter thought.

"Cataclysm, huh? Interesting name," Flint started. "It's a bit of a mouthful, though. Is it okay if I call you Cat?"

"Is it okay if I punch you in the face?" She smiled at him sweetly. Every other dragon in the room blinked in surprise. _That escalated quickly._

Winter looked at every dragon in the room in turn before sitting beside Cataclysm while struggling not to laugh, "Okay, guys. Nobody calls her Cat." She looked over at him with a death glare and Winter broke out into laughter. The others followed suit after a few seconds while Cataclysm sat there with a bewildered look.

"Oh, you guys are just joking with me, haha," She chuckled awkwardly.

Flint draped an arm around her and pulled her into a noogie to which she tried to escape and failed. Her struggles only increased when Flint stopped and just held her there, "Might as well give up, Cat. You can't escape. You're one of us now."

"Don't. Call. Me. CAT!" Within seconds she had swept his back leg out from under him—loosening his grip on her—then she used her right front paw to lift his restraining arm while using her other paw to push his neck forward while using all of her weight as leverage. Flint landed with a loud crash and wide eyes.

He wasn't the only one, either. Winter, Moon, and Darkstalker were likewise dumbfounded at how this Skywing took down a Mudwing almost twice her size and nearly three times her weight. "How did—"

"The Skywings have some of the best soldiers on Pyrrhia, so we have to be the best in order to take their place." She smirked down at the prone Mudwing, "Strength isn't the only thing that matters after all." She looked back up at the others with a fierce glare, "So if I were you, I wouldn't call me Cat."

"Y-yeah, okay," Winter stuttered. In all of the years that Winter had known Flint and all of the times he had seen the Mudwing spar with others—including more than a few between the two of them—he had never seen the Mudwing taken down so easily. It was impressive and more than a little terrifying at the same time that she was able to do that. "Anything else that we shouldn't do?" He asked skeptically.

She looked thoughtful for a minute before shaking her head, "Nope. At least not that I can think of right now. I'll let you know, though."

"If it's all the same to you, can I get up now?" Everyone looked down at the floor where Cataclysm was still pinning Flint. She quickly moved aside with a slightly sheepish—but mostly amused—expression. He got up and gave her a sideways glare before shuffling away quietly out of the door.

Winter watched him leave with a worried expression, "Is everything okay, Winter?" Moon asked him.

He shook his head as he watched Flint's retreating form through the door, "No. He doesn't like being humiliated. Even less so when his fighting skills and strength are made fun of." He shook his head again when he looked back to Moon, "In all of the time that I've known him, that's the only sensitive spot that I know he has." He then looked over to Cataclysm who had a guilty expression, "I don't blame you, Cataclysm, since you didn't know but now that you do…" He trailed off.

"Now I feel bad," her wings and ears drooped. "Should I go apologize to him?"

He shook his head before smiling at her, "He'll be fine by tomorrow, hopefully, but I'll talk to him later. Don't worry about it." He gave one last smile before walking out without another word. In truth, he was worried about Flint. Obviously, Moon knew the truth—she could read his mind, after all—because she was following him again. He smiled to himself and he spoke jokingly to her without looking over, "Are you supposed to be my private escort or something?"

"I guess so. Is that okay?" She looked over to him and he looked back to her with a smile.

"It makes for good company," He was going to say something else, but he was tackled from behind and his face was plowed into the dirt. He felt someone standing on his back and he heard Moon laughing at his predicament. He huffed in exasperation when he heard who it was.

"I'm glad that I found you guys! Turtle said that he needed to talk with Winter." The mentioned Icewing merely huffed again. Kinkajou bounced on his back causing him to grunt, "Oh, come on, Sparkles, you know you love me!"

He could almost hear her smile. He got his legs under him and slowly stood up while Kinkajou was still on his back causing her to laugh. Then, she hopped off of his back still smiling all the while and hugged Moon. The sight caused him to smile. When she turned around, she was met with Winter's embrace. He heard her gasp in surprise, "You're right. I do love you." He broke the hug and saw her surprised face and Moon's wide eyes. He smiled wider at the sight, "I love all of my friends, and there is nothing that I wouldn't do for any of you."

Kinkajou looked over to Moon and smirked, "I never thought that I would see the day where Winter would go soft." Moon giggled in response.

The spines on Winter's neck raised in annoyance and slight anger as his eyes narrowed and he raised his head haughtily, "I have not gone soft! I'm just—"

"Mushy?" Kinkajou interrupted. Winter just went deadpan. "Squishy? Gooey?"

"Well, he does look a bit doughy around the midsection," commented Moon.

Winter's eyes flew open and he looked back to see if he really was 'doughy.' The two girls started laughing at him, and he rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine! I'll remember this the next time you need this 'squishy Icewing's' help!" He said as he turned and walked off. He knew they were playing with him, of course, but he was still a bit miffed at being called soft. He wasn't soft. Right?

Sure, he was more tempered than he was back then. He showed his emotions more now, but he was still him. He was raised as an Icewing Prince. He was meant to be the best—of everything. He never was, of course. His brother and sister were always better than him in everything. Still, he was a warrior. He was raised to be ruthless, and while he wasn't like his sister—or even his brother—he was still capable of terrible things. He killed a defenseless prisoner and brutally killed Deathbringer's doppelganger. The three Sandwings he killed when this whole thing started—including 'Qibli'—he killed with a cold efficiency that his mother would most likely be proud of. No matter how you look at it, he was a killer.

"That's not true, Winter! You know that!" He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Moon come up beside him. Her tone was almost scolding. "That's because I AM scolding you. You need to stop thinking of yourself like that. Everyone is capable of killing, but real killers enjoy what they do. Scarlet, Burn, Blister—they were killers." She stopped him with a wing and turned to him, "I know that you don't like doing what you have to. It's hard. I know that. That means you have a good heart." She placed a paw on his chest over his heart and looked into his eyes.

He stared right back into her emerald eyes. All of the sounds of the rainforest filtered out of his perception. It was just him and her. They stayed like that for several seconds before another snowflake fell out of the corner of his eye. He looked around and saw her standing a few dozen feet away looking at him with an unreadable expression. Winter cleared his throat awkwardly, "We should, um—We should go find Turtle."

"Oh…okay," she looked down dejectedly. He could tell that she was disappointed with him. He was a bit regretful to be honest, but what's done was done. He couldn't change it now.

"Psst," The thin air next to him spoke. Kinkajou's head materialized right next to him, "If you were waiting for the opportune moment…That was it." He just rolled his eyes.

Winter didn't say much on the remainder of the short trip to where Turtle was studying the Changewing letters and scrolls. Most of the time the two females only spoke to each other and Winter only said anything if a question was directly aimed at him. He felt bad about what happened, but he had to remind himself that it was he himself that wanted the two of them to wait. As far as he was concerned, hugs and other such affectionate touches were about as far as they could go without actually being in a relationship. Once that first kiss happened, there was no turning back.

Being lost in his thoughts meant that they made it to the destination quicker than he thought reasonable but didn't complain. An awkward silence had lapsed over their small group, and he didn't want to be in such a position for longer than needed.

Turtle was in a rather large treehouse—only the Queen's pavilion was larger—sorting through several different scrolls and letters amidst many other stacks of scrolls. He remembered Glory telling him of Starflight's reaction one time when it was mentioned that the Rainwings didn't have any scrolls. To say he was horrified was an understatement, and it seems that Glory was beginning to rectify that problem because this was undoubtedly a library. If the rows and stacks of scrolls weren't obvious enough then there were small tables scattered around where a few other dragons were quietly reading through their own scrolls.

Kinkajou was the first through the door and Turtle smiled at her approach before they shared a short affectionate kiss. He saw the Rainwing's hidden, mischievous smirk as she turned to them and beckoned them over. _It's like she's showing off or something…Of course, she is. It's Kinkajou I'm talking about._ He more than a little peeved at her obvious follow-up to her previous comment after his and Moon's awkward moment in the rainforest.

Turtle blushed slightly but his smile was all Winter needed to know to gauge his true feelings on the matter. He turned to the entrance and beckoned him and Moon over, "I didn't expect you to come, too, Moon, but I'm glad you did. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine," was her somewhat clipped response. If Turtle noticed anything off, he was smart enough not to comment on it.

"Right…well then, I wanted to show you something, Winter," he shuffled through several of the papers and scrolls before picking out a few. "All of these come from the mysterious general."

"How can you tell?" Interrupted Moon. Winter nodded in argreement.

"Diction," He pointed out a few lines, "_…The Rainforest has caused me too many problems, but the resistance there is ultimately futile. The tribes there have no use to me beyond subjugated servants. Save those you believe to be necessary and take care of the rest in any way you deem fit. This rebellion must be quashed. If those meddlesome dragons are able to leave, our entire operation could be put in jeopardy. I will not allow any more failures. Signed, T"_

"T?" asked Moon.

Turtle nodded, "It must be a code name or initial of the leader. These letters were sent to Deathbringer's doppelganger, and if he was the captain of the Changewing's in the rainforest…"

"Only the General would give him orders," finished Winter. The Seawing nodded his affirmative. "So, we're looking with a dragon with a name that starts with T? That could one of any thousands of dragons."

"You're right," Turtle sighed. "With this information alone, we won't be able to discern their leader's identity, but it's a start. With a few more clues, I could extrapolate and narrow down the search parameters, but I've gone through all of these letters twice and that is the only real clue that I could find. However…" He shuffled through a few more scrolls and letters before finding another one. This time he just pointed out the lines and pushed it over to Winter.

He looked at Turtle with a hint of concern before looking down at the page and reading it aloud, "_Our asset has enchanted yet another tool to aid us in our conquests. Her will is strong, but even one such as her must break at some point. Make sure you use these weapons well. If you cannot defeat them with such a powerful tool, then you will be of no more use to me. Return with that Icewing's head or do not return at all. Your life would be better spent dying on the field of battle than rotting in a cell for treason. Signed, T."_ Winter visible shivered after reading that. He knew that most of the Changewings had been actively hunting him during the fire, but to see that their general had ordered his _head_ to be brought before them…

"My fears were well-founded, Winter," he could easily hear how scared Turtle was for his sister's safety. "They've taken her, Winter! We have to go to the Sea Kingdom! We have to find her!"

"Cataclysm made it sound like Prince Cliff's life was in danger," she looked up to Winter, "We can't just abandon him to his fate." Winter looked between the two of them, the pain of making this decision clear on his face.

On one claw, the Skywings had the largest and strongest military on Pyrrhia. If they were to fall, the Changewings would be almost unstoppable. So soon after the war, the tribes didn't have the strength for another long drawn out conflict. If the Skywings were conquered, the other tribes wouldn't have the strength to contend with the enemy.

On the other claw, Turtle was a friend, and his sister was in danger. Not only that, but she was an animus. There's no telling how much damage they could do if Anemone fully broke and gave them everything that they wanted.

He had to make a choice.

"You promised me, Winter," came Turtle's whispered reply. It pained Winter to see the obvious suffering on his friend's face.

How was he supposed to decide this? It was a lose-lose either way. He could go help the Seawings and prevent the Changewings from using Anemone like a weapon, therefore, saving hundreds—if not thousands—of potential victims. In that case, the Skywings would be thrown in disarray and their little rebellion would only delay the inevitable subjugation of the tribes. Or he could help the Skywings. Pyrrhia's strongest military would be saved, but then the Changewings could just use Anemone to wipe them all out with a single spell—possibly killing herself in the process.

His three friends looked to him for direction, but he couldn't give them any, for he himself was lost. "I—" He sighed and shook his head in frustration, "I don't know!"

Seeming to understand his internal dilemma, his friends didn't say anything else. Rather, they gave him their shows of support through shoulder rubs and hugs, "I know that this situation seems impossible, Winter," Turtle began, "But I trust you. If you think the Skywings are more important…" He trailed off as the first hints of moisture clouded his eyes before he forced a smile and a laugh, "Sometimes sacrifices have to be made, right?"

He could see how merely saying that caused his friend no end of pain, so Winter didn't say anything. Whether or not Turtle was being sincere when he said what he said, and he would willingly follow him if he chose the Skywings of the Seawings and his sister, he couldn't say. All he knew for certain was that he couldn't make a decision like this yet. "Give me some time to think," he spoke quietly, not willing to look his Seawing friend in the eyes.

He turned around and walked away without another word and heard Moon following behind him. When he left the library and gazed across the outside world, he could see the beginnings of dusk upon the horizon. Oranges, yellows, pinks, and reds mixed with the normal blue of the sky and green of the forest, making a truly breath-taking sight. He stared in wonder at this display of natural beauty, for it felt like an eternity since he had seen something so beautiful in this world. Especially considering recent events. A phantom wave of heat washed over him as his memories turned back to the roaring blaze of the fire from a few days ago.

His thoughts then turned to what he read in those letters, and he shivered again. He spoke quietly and to no one in particular, "What are we to do against such reckless hate?"

He looked down to Moon who—for once—didn't have an answer.

The next string of thoughts that entered his mind was that of his conversation with Cataclysm and how Flint left in a sour mood. _I should go find him now. He's probably more upset now because I haven't already made sure that he's okay._ Moon didn't say anything and followed him whenever he stretched his wings and took to the skies. He didn't know where to start looking, honestly. With the Changewing's defeat in the rainforest, the village borders had opened up and dragons were allowed to come and go where and when they pleased for now. That meant Flint could be quite literally anywhere.

It came as a lucky break, then, as he saw the form of a Mudwing by the river in Flint's old spot. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. They landed in a relatively clear area about a quarter-mile upstream and started making their way down to where they last saw Flint.

When Flint had come in sight, Winter stopped and stared with worried eyes at the sight that lay before him. Moon had stopped with him and was probably staring at the sight before them in disbelief. Flint was on the muddy bank of the river, on his back, with his wings splayed out and was using all four of his legs to lift a boulder that could have easily squashed Winter. It probably weighed near two tons, and Flint was lifting it like it was nothing! Okay, he had to be using some effort but still…

Flint rarely worked out to this extreme anymore. When the two of them had first met, he had done something like this every day but over time he had relaxed. Nowadays the only time that Flint did something of this magnitude was when he was angry…usually at himself. He knew that Cataclysm's little stunt would make him a little sore, but he didn't think that Flint would take it that seriously.

He whispered to Moon so as not to alert the Mudwing to their presence, "Why don't you go back to the village? It's getting late." He looked at her pointedly. While he didn't explicitly tell her the real reason, she probably already knew. She could read minds after all.

She gave him a strange look before asking, "Are you sure you don't need any help?" He looked back to Flint who had just thrown the boulder in the air and then caught it. He blinked a few times in disbelieving awe. How could any dragon be that strong!? It was terrifying to know that Flint could do the things he could do but also comforting to know. After all, Flint's single mission in life was to protect Winter.

That brought up another problem. The original reason why Flint got as strong as he is was to protect his sisters. With them…deceased…there was no reason for Flint to be actively trying to improve himself—except to protect Winter. It was obvious that Flint took his quick takedown as a sign that he could no longer protect Winter if the need arose.

That was ludicrous in every sense of the word, but Flint had his own insecurities. They were a lot more rare than Winter's, but they were still there. The events of the past…year, he supposed, probably didn't help. Winter had been killed—literally—then clawed, bitten, stabbed, shot with a chakram…the list goes on.

It was touching to know how deeply loyal Flint was to him, but he also knew that that kind of loyalty and single-minded devotion could cloud his judgement. If they came into a situation where Winter and someone else was in trouble, but that someone else was in more trouble while Winter could manage with his own situation, he knew who Flint would help regardless. In a way, if that dragon was hurt or killed, their blood would be on his claws.

He didn't want that.

He knew he had to do something, but this was something that he had to do alone. Moon seemed to understand the urgency of the situation and merely gave him a short parting hug for support before flying off back to the village.

Flint turned around at the sudden sounds of wingbeats and saw Winter standing there. Instead of being angry or sad or any other emotion Winter expected, he almost looked regretful. His deduction was proven true when Flint looked down and spoke, "Look, I know what you're going to say, Winter: That I'm being to hard on myself. Maybe you're right." He shrugged. Winter didn't say anything so he continued after a second of uncomfortable silence. "You saw what happened! I've never been taken down that easily! If I can't stand against a puny Skywing, what good am I?"

He looked down dejectedly and Winter's heart clenched at the sight. He hated seeing Flint like this just like he knew Flint hated seeing him down. He had several problems on his mind right now, and he couldn't let Flint add to those. What could he do, then?

That's when the perfect solution hit him. They had two potential Changewing plots to unravel, and there were eight of them. They could split up, four and four. They had two mind readers…and two leaders. Winter could take a group to the Sky Kingdom while Flint took another to the Sea Kingdom. It could also help in another way…

After a while of silent thinking, Winter finally spoke, "We know where the next Changewing plots are."

Flint looked up with a confused expression, "Plots? As in more than one?"

Winter nodded, "Yep. Turtle's sister is in danger. The Changewings are forcing her to use her animus powers to enchant weapons." He let that sink in for a second before continuing, "There's also the matter regarding Prince Cliff that we discussed earlier."

The Mudwing blinked in confusion, "Are you asking my help to decide because I have no idea either." Winter was silent and Flint thought for a minute before his eyes opened wide in shock, "You want us to split up? Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, who'll lead the second group?"

"You will," was Winter's instantaneous reply.

Flint's expression became much more serious upon hearing Winter's solution, "I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. It sounded like you wanted me to lead the second group." Winter nodded, and Flint went postal, "ABSOLUTELY NOT! We swore to each other that we would watch each other's backs! I can't protect you if you're a whole kingdom away!"

As much as what he was about to say hurt, Winter needed to say it—for both of their sakes, "That's the thing, Flint. I don't need you to protect me." Flint's expression immediately changed to one of hurt and betrayal, "I'm my own dragon. I was an Icewing prince. I'm a fighter, same as you. I can look after myself." He moved closer and sat down in front of his brother and looked him in the eye, "I won't be alone, either. I'll have friends watching my back. You don't need to worry about me."

He could have sworn that he heard Flint give off a quiet whine, and it almost made him reconsider. He couldn't, though. They both needed this, "We've been together for so long that we've forgotten how it is to be apart. If we're to win this war, we need to be able to do both because right now our greatest strength is our greatest weakness."

Flint looked away and visibly deflated before speaking quietly, "Then promise me that you WILL come back." He looked back forward and brought Winter into a brotherly hug, "I can't lose you, too."

Though Flint could easily crush him with the strength in his arms, Winter felt like he was safer than he had been in a long time, "I promise." Flint gave him a gentle squeeze before breaking away, and the warmth and protection that Winter had felt disappeared as quickly as it had come. He really didn't want to do this, but he had to. The two of them were strong already, but this separation would only make them stronger. They would learn to lead and fight on their own, without the safety brought on by the other. He just hoped that he was doing the right thing.

They sat and spoke for a few hours about what they might expect in the days ahead. They made a list of potential supplies they would need for the journey. They wondered on who might be a Changewing infiltrator and who might be a strong ally in the days ahead. All the while they talked, there was a sense of dread hanging over the both of them. They had decided that they would leave tomorrow afternoon, so this would be the only real time for the two of them to spend together before they would leave on their separate ways, and if things went awry…

This might be the last time they would ever see each other.

**(*)**The sun had long gone down by this point and they were speaking under the light of the single full moon when they finally decided to get some rest. They gave each other one last hug, and neither of them wanted to leave this moment, but they both knew that the die had been cast. Their journeys would split for now. Neither of them knew what the future would bring, but they did know that the world would be lonelier without the other.

Eventually, though, they both decided that they had to get what little sleep they could. Winter walked through the quiet village until he made it to his new hut and saw something he didn't expect. Rather, he saw some_one_ he didn't expect. Moon was sleeping on his bed, obviously making herself at home, and while the sight would normally make him smile, the slightly pained expressions on her face, her tense muscles, and occasional whines told him that she was having a nightmare.

He would have tried to comfort her anyway—it's what friends do, after all—but his already tender heart was nearly shattered when he heard her whimper a single word, "W-winter." It was all he could do to stop the tears from falling. She was having a nightmare about him.

He felt the emotions well up in his throat as he placed a paw on her shoulder and spoke softly to her, "It's okay, Moon. I'm here." Her muscles relaxed and she let out a contented sigh. That one simple thing was enough to make Winter's mind cloud with doubt. Was he doing the right thing by making her wait? Was it fair to either of them to prevent what they both wanted?

His momentary lapse in concentration had led to him subconsciously bringing his paw up to gently caress her face, and she had leaned into his touch as if she knew who was doing it. It was impossible since she was asleep, but in that moment, he had never loved her more.

He leant down and spoke in a mere whisper in her ear, "I love you." Then—consequences be damned—lightly kissed her on the cheek. He saw her smile before he turned around and left the hut after his emotions had begun getting the better of him, and he was struggling not to completely break down.

He flew up to one of the unoccupied platforms that broke through the canopy and provided him with a clear view of the night sky. The stars and moon were there plainly for him to see and he watched them as he basked in their gaze. He closed his eyes when he felt a single tear fall down his cheek, "Aurora," he spoke quietly. "I don't know if this is how this works, but I need your help," his voice began breaking due to the amount of emotion he was holding back. He let out a shaky breath as more tears began forming, "I'm l-lost, and I d-don't know what to do. P-please, help m-me!"

He sat there for several long minutes before losing hope. Right before he was going to give up any hope that remained, he felt a presence next to him. A wing was draped across his back and gentle claws brought him into a warm embrace, "You are not lost, Winter." Somehow that single sentence made him feel like everything was okay, "I will always be here to guide you."

And as quickly as she had come, her presence disappeared.

The last few tears fell from his eyes as he once more looked to the heavens with a sense of peace in his heart, "Thank you," he whispered.

The stars seemed to twinkle in response and he smiled. Maybe he wasn't as lost or alone as he thought because he knew that she was watching over him.

It was a comforting thought.

**AN: So what did you guys think? Was it everything that you wanted? Tell me your thoughts and opinions in a review. I'm especially interested in what you thought about the fluff parts and the Changewing journal entries.**

**Another character theme for you:**

**Aurora- May it Be by Enya**

**That sounds familiar, doesn't it?**

**For the next chapter, I'm going to say that it'll be out by the middle of June, but don't be surprised if it comes out a week or so late. **

**Until Next Time,**

**AdmiralCole22**


	11. Chapter 10

Dragons Change

**AN: So I thought about finishing this chapter up yesterday, but decided to do it today because it's father's day today. To make up for the wait, this is the longest chapter to date by almost a thousand words.**

**I just wanted to say this, too: I may not reply to every review you guys submit, but I do read them. I read guest reviews, too, so don't be sad, dude. It'll be okay. I would also like to say think you for to everyone who DOES take the time to review. It means a lot. Truly.**

**Random Question: I have no idea if I read this somewhere or if this is my own thoughts on the matter, but since Icewings are so isolated compared to the rest of the tribes, don't they have accents? If so, what kind of accent do you guys think that they would have? I am VERY curious to hear your opinions.**

**Also, real fast, there is a POV switch at the end of this chapter. 0.0**

**Shocking right? It's for a flashback/story, though, so you'll be able to differentiate it by the italics, line break, and switch from third to first person perspective.**

**Oh, one more thing: I hid a Jurassic Park 3 reference in the story. I think that it's kind of obvious, but I'm the one who wrote it, so what do I know? See if you can find it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint and Aurora belong to me. The Skywing, Cataclysm, belongs to her owner, BizmuthTheRainwing. Cover art is by beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 10:

As he had predicted, Winter didn't get much sleep last night. After his prayer to Aurora and his subsequent stargazing, he had had too much on his mind to get any real sleep. He thought about something that he and Flint had spoke at length on: possible enemies and allies in the two Kingdoms. Who could they trust? What if Prince Cliff was already missing, and a Changewing had taken his place? What if Anemone had been taken to wherever the other Changewing victims were? Nobody knew where exactly they were, so it would be almost impossible to find her if that were so.

He also thought about the aforementioned victims. Would he ever see Deathbringer's famous smirk or hear his witty banter again? Would Sunny ever see her mother again?

Would they ever find Qibli?

That, in turn, prompted another problem. Winter wasn't an idiot. He knew that Qibli's reappearance would cause problems between the two of them and Moon. The question on his mind was: Would she stay with him…or go back to Qibli? Moon said that she had moved on. She also confessed her love to him, but she also said that she wouldn't know what to do if Qibli was ever found. He was her first love, after all. If anything, Winter was probably on the hook.

What happened last night was still fresh on his mind, though. She had a nightmare about him and calmed when she heard his voice. She had smiled when he kissed her cheek. Winter had promised himself that he wouldn't become attached to her. He promised himself that when they found Qibli, he wouldn't stand between him and Moon's relationship.

Honestly, Winter was putting serious thought into breaking that promise. The only thing holding him back was fear—the fear of being dropped as soon as Qibli came back into her life. He didn't think that Moon would do that to him—again—but he was still afraid, all the same. It was that fear that prevented the deepening of their relationship.

He had originally wanted to find Qibli to reunite him with Moon and make her happy. Now, though, he wanted to find Qibli because he had to know for certain who she loved more. It might sound cruel, but he wanted to put Moon in that situation to make her choose.

Stars above, he couldn't be anymore selfish, could he?

Perhaps it was folly to think about this now. They still had no idea where Qibli was or if he was even alive. Their journey was most likely just beginning, so he had time until he needed to employ such drastic measures. Maybe he would get his answer in the days, weeks, or months ahead without having to resort to that kind of ultimatum. It would be nice if that were so.

He resolved to himself that if no sign of Qibli or the other missing dragons were found in the Sky or Sea Kingdoms…he would put serious thought into thinking about a relationship.

Spirits was he being a coward.

Anyways, after the brain drain, Winter had returned to his hut to find that Moon was still asleep on his bed. Where else would she be though? It was still a few hours until dawn, after all. That left him with an interesting conundrum, though. Should he sleep on the floor or go find somewhere else to sleep?

At the moment, he was too exhausted to give much thought to the matter. Formality and protocol were lost to his expended mind, so he just plopped himself down on the floor and fell asleep. It was a light, restless sleep, though. The doubt and fear that had crawled its way into his mind last night were still present and left him with sour dreams. He was eventually awoken by Moon when she tried to exit the hut quietly.

He lifted his head groggily, having not gotten much rest last night, and looked over to the sheepish Nightwing, "Sorry, Winter," she whispered, "I didn't mean to wake you…or steal your bed."

He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as his mind started working overdrive again. _I guess I'm not going back to sleep, then._ At Moon's slightly downcast expression, he tried to correct his mistake, "It's not your fault, Moon. I've just got a lot on my mind, is all."

She tilted her head in curiosity, "Like what?"

Winter looked away with an unreadable expression, "I would ask you, this one time, not to read my mind regarding this," he said as those specific thoughts all tried to vie for his attention. He looked back at her with a small frown, "They aren't pleasant thoughts, and I don't want you to worry over them."

She blinked in obvious surprise before reaching down to her satchel on the ground that she usually carried with her. He always forgot she had it because the leather blended into her scales and she kept it tucked under her wing where he couldn't really see it. She pulled out a familiar armlet and tried to hand it to him, "If you don't want me to see your thoughts then this is the best way."

He stared at the proffered piece of jewelry with barely hidden disdain before pushing it away from him gently and before he could realize what he was saying, blurted out, "I don't want anything like this to come between us." Moon's eyes were wide open in shock and Winter had to do a mental rewind. When he realized what he had said he had to stop himself from facepalming and instead settled for a mental facepalm.

"D-Does that mean…" She started but trailed off. She sounded hopeful but prepared to be disappointed.

He couldn't stop himself from bringing a paw up to caress her face as he smiled. He felt how she leaned in and saw the love in her eyes when she looked at him. After his brain drain last night, he realized he could no longer deny her, but he couldn't deny his conscience, either. So, he came up with a compromise. He traced her cheek bone with his thumb as he started to speak, "I'll make you a deal." She pulled her head back slightly and looked at him in confusion as Winter lowered his paw back to the ground. "If there is no sign of Qibli or the other missing dragons in the Sky Kingdom or Sea Kingdom, I won't resist our being together."

She was silent for several minutes as she looked at him in deep thought, and Winter became increasingly worried as the minutes ticked by until finally, "Deal." She smirked, "Though, the longer you wait, the less interested I'll be."

He smirked right back and replied, "Then I'll just have to keep you interested somehow." Without warning, he came forward and lightly kissed her on the cheek before pulling back slowly and rubbed their noses together. _Consequences be damned, all right, _he thought to himself as a smile pulled at his mouth. He was in this all the way now.

His eyes were closed when he heard her speak, "Keep this up, and you'll definitely keep me interested." He could hear the smile in her voice. She was the first to pull back, and he opened his eyes to see her slightly downcast expression, "Have you thought about what to do, yet?"

Just like that, his mood became sour again, and he nodded as he looked away, "It's best to tell everyone at once. Glory deserves to know, too." He was silent for a moment as he looked out the window at the rising sun, "Find the others and tell them to meet in the Queen's pavilion in an hour."

"Why so early?" she questioned.

"We have a lot to do today, and a short time to do it in. We leave the rainforest at midday." He looked over to her at the sound of her gasp—whether it be excitement, worry, or shock—he couldn't tell, but she left soon after to spread the word.

He walked outside and sat on the ground as he listened to the sounds of the rainforest waking up for the day. This was like a second home to him, but he was going to leave it. Moon was right, he was prepared to sacrifice in order to help others. He cared about helping those who couldn't help themselves before he cared about his own desires. The Changewings might think of that as a weakness, but he knew it meant something else.

It meant that he was a good leader.

It had taken him so long to realize that, yet others had claimed to know long ago. It made him laugh quietly to know that he was the last to realize. He was his own worst critic, apparently. He had always believed that his failures in the past were just that, failure, but he now saw them in a new light. There had been many times on this journey where things could have ended a lot worse than they had, yet Winter had lead most everyone through safely.

Yes, he wasn't able to save Mojave, but he prevented anymore from dying by acting. He killed 'Qibli' and two other guards, driving the others away. Swordfish seemed to have died meaninglessly, but his sacrifice had ultimately lead to the revelation of Raven's true identity and the defeat of the Changewings in the rainforest. His death and the Nightwing village bombing had prompted action. That action had, in turn, lead to victory.

If he hadn't have done the things that he did, how many more would see an early grave? Aurora had said that it was his destiny to lead the fight against the Changewings. He didn't believe in destiny, though. How could his life be preordained? He believed that it wasn't destiny but rather a sense of purpose that drove him. As Cataclysm had once said, 'If I don't stand against them, who will?' It was true. He stood against them not by obligation or destiny but because he wanted to.

He wanted to help those who couldn't help themselves. Why? Because of his compassion. Aurora had said that it was his greatest strength. It was what set him apart from other Icewings.

Now, after everything that has happened, he believed her.

With these new revelations, Winter set out for the Queen's pavilion. It would be best if their leader was there first, after all. He was responsible for the seven dragons who fought with him. Somehow, that wasn't as scary as it sounded.

He had spent a while thinking, but he still arrived twenty minutes early. The Queen greeted him with a smile and motioned for him to take a place by her side. He smiled to himself. Not so long ago, he had been pretty much a hermit in his Sanctuary. Now though, he was friends with a Queen.

He took his seat behind and to the left of her to the whispers of the few guards present in the room. Winter informed her of the meeting he had called when she looked back to him. She had nodded her acceptance. When the others began filing in, Glory sent all of her guards out of the room since this meeting was considered top secret.

Once everyone was there, he took in their appearance. All in all, he got what he expected from them. Moon, Blaze, Flint, and Cataclysm were ready to do whatever he said. Darkstalker didn't like being ordered around—especially by an Icewing—but still gave Winter his begrudging respect. Turtle and Kinkajou looked especially haggard. They must not have gotten any sleep either. He could imagine how Turtle must be feeling right now since he was about to split he and Flint up for now. With Turtle and Kinkajou as close as they were, it was no wonder the Rainwing was sharing Turtle's misery.

He took a deep breath and started, "I've thought long and hard about what to do next and spoke with Flint regarding the best course of action to take. For those of you who are unaware, Turtle's sister, Anemone, is in danger." He saw Darkstalker noticeably change his expression from annoyance to rapt attention after that last part. Of course, he knew about the history between those two since he was there during that whole fiasco. Seeing the small amount of concern in his eyes made it easier for Winter to pick the groups.

"Not only that," he continued, "but thanks to Cataclysm here, we know that there is a possible assassination plot against Prince Cliff of the Skywings." The others in the room looked at the Skywing with a varying range of expressions such as suspicion and distrust but also respect and concern. "I hope that all of you can understand the importance of both of these matters. Should Prince Cliff die, the Skywings would be thrown into utter chaos, but we also can't let them use Anemone, an animus, like a weapon. They could cause unspeakable damage to Pyrrhia with her powers."

He saw Turtle's downcast expression, "Then what do we do, Winter? We can't be in two places at once."

"Can we not?" He replied.

"Wait, you want to split us up?" came from Cataclysm. "There's only eight of us and you want to divide our forces?"

"What, you think we wouldn't be able to manage!?" came the hostile reply from Kinkajou.

"I didn't say that! I just don't think that it would be a good idea!" came the equally hostile retort. Turtle started speaking up in defense of Kinkajou and Darkstalker tried to back up Cataclysm while Flint was trying to calm everyone down. Eventually, the shouting match was in full swing and the two females looked like they were going to come to blows. With Kinkajou's venom and Cataclysm's martial skills, there was no telling who would win in a fight between the two of them. He wasn't going to let it happen either way.

He looked upon them, flustered and bewildered, as the Queen herself was now throwing out threats when he felt a familiar presence beside him. No one was there but he heard her voice like from a dream, _"You are their leader. Speak and they will listen."_

He steeled himself and stood up suddenly, "ENOUGH!" The shouting all at once stopped and eight pairs of eyes looked to him. He didn't let the fact that he was on the spot discourage him. In fact, it only strengthened his resolve, "We stand here arguing amongst ourselves while our enemies plot behind our backs and their forces grow! We don't know how much time we have left to stop their schemes, yet here we stand bickering like a bunch of spoiled dragonets!" He paused briefly and continued in a softer tone, "We are better than that. It is not just we eight in this fight, either. We have made powerful enemies, yes…but we have made even stronger allies!

"We need not be the only ones to fight this fight. Others will rise once they have seen our example and they will fight with us to rid themselves of their invisible oppressors. And as others come to fight alongside us, strengthening our cause, our enemies will become weaker.

"They believe us to be a threat to their plans, and they are right! They wish to silence us so our voices will not be heard, yet we will shout all the louder! They wish to cripple us so we can no longer fight, yet we will push on all the same! We will not stop fighting until every last enemy of the free dragons of Pyrrhia are vanquished! They know this! And because of that, they fear us! Do we then let our opportunity to strike back at our enemies pass us by!? Or do we seize this moment to take back our home!?" He stopped and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. When he opened them a second later, he spoke again softly—barely above a whisper, "The choice is yours."

He saw varying degrees of shock and respect on most of the faces staring at him, yet there were three that meant more to him than anything. Flint and Moon were looking at him with pride in their eyes at Winter's acceptance of his new place in life. He was their leader, yet he hadn't acted like it or accepted it…until now. The third, however, stood behind everyone and was unnoticed by anyone. Aurora sat there with a smile, and Winter gave her a small smile and accompanying nod before she disappeared once again.

He didn't really understand why he kept seeing her when no one else did, but he wasn't complaining. He liked Aurora. He really did. She was kind and caring and acted more like a mother to him than his own mother had, yet he felt as if their relationship was a bit more complicated than that. He couldn't pretend to know or understand the thought processes of a spirit, so he simply wouldn't. He knew Aurora had a plan for them—and him specifically—but that was all he knew. For all of her secrecy and mysteriousness, he found that he trusted her completely. She did everything for a reason, and she wouldn't betray him or his friends.

He was once again lost in his thoughts when he heard someone start applauding and soon enough everyone in the room were either applauding or shouting out praise to him. He blushed slightly at all the attention but smiled at them genuinely. Darkstalker was the only one who wasn't. He was looking at him suspiciously but didn't say or do anything, so Winter ignored him for now.

After everyone had quieted, he began speaking, "I will take Moon, Blaze, and Cataclysm with me to the Sky Kingdom while Flint leads the second group of Turtle, Kinkajou, and Darkstalker to the Sea Kingdom." He could tell that Kinkajou especially wasn't thrilled with the fourth member of her group and was shooting death glares at Darkstalker. Blaze and Moon were also looking between each other with equal amounts of animosity and jealousy. It seemed that Blaze was harboring some resentment over Moon still regarding himself. Blaze must still like him. When Moon shot him a quick glare, he chuckled lightly to himself. _I guess that answers that question._

He couldn't let them just go with each other while holding onto such negative thoughts, "I know that some of you don't particularly like each other, but you have to put that aside. The Changewings prey on weakness. If they sense any division between any of us, they'll do everything in their power to widen that divide. That's how they work: divide and conquer." A few of them looked slightly ashamed at his words, but still he continued, "We either fight united…or fall divided." His last words had let his gaze fall on Kinkajou. She looked away but didn't say anything.

Even after all this time, Kinkajou refused to let go of her hate for Darkstalker. Not only that, but she was also suspicious of anyone and everyone. Her paranoia was good at first because they didn't know what they were up against, but now that they did, it was only a hindrance. If she didn't get over that, she would be the first to fall.

In any case, he spoke his piece. He could not force anyone to think in any one way, so for now there was nothing left to do besides moving forward. "Pack your bags and get ready to move out because we leave at midday," he said as he made his way to the door, ignoring the incredulous looks he received. Before exiting, he said one last thing over his shoulder, "Act smart, stay alive, stick together, but don't be an idiot."

He saw the members of his old winglet and Glory react to the familiar yet nearly forgotten line that Thorn and Qibli used to say. He didn't stay any longer than absolutely necessary after that. Old conflict arose within him before he was able to quash it enough to keep moving forward.

Winter would never openly admit it to anyone, but he missed his old rival. While he could be a sarcastic pain in his tail, Winter didn't know many dragons with a heart as golden as Qibli's. Flint, of course, was one. Turtle, Clay, and Sunny were a few more. He might not have liked the Sandwing when they had first met, but by the time Darkstalker was defeated, Qibli had grown on him. Looking back now, when he had first seen the Changewing in the guise of Qibi—before he knew it was a Changewing, that is—he hadn't realized how much seeing his old friend turned into a killer had hurt.

"I can understand how you feel," a familiar voice spoke from behind him, "Since everyone I ever cared about died two thousand years ago—besides my mother, that is."

Winter turned around to regard the Nightwing who had spoken. He still had lingering animosity towards Darkstalker since his father had died in the war that the Nightwing had started, but it would be hypocritical of him if he didn't try to put that aside after the speech he gave minutes ago. He would put aside his anger and hatred for the greater good, "Did you need something from me, Darkstalker?"

"I would like to speak with you if that is all right," he said. Winter knew that Darkstalker's personality was much like Deathbringer's. He was charming, sarcastic, and more than a little cocky, and the only time either of them became serious was when something was…well, serious. Winter saw Darkstalker try to hold back a smirk as he motioned for Winter to walk with him. After but a moment's hesitation, Winter followed.

"I feel as if I should apologize to you," the Nightwing continued. "Over the many months you were unconscious, I saw and heard the others' loyalty to you—an Icewing. At first, I ridiculed them for their belief in you, and when I realized they would not be swayed, I kept my opinions to myself but didn't change them. When you first came back without your voice or your memories, I thought they would come to see things my way. It was only a few moments ago when I truly understood why they look up to you." Darkstalker stopped and sighed.

"For two thousand years, I slumbered under the mountain, thinking only of revenge on my father's tribe for everything they did to me and my sister. When I awoke knowing that the old grudge still ran strong, I thought that I would be doing the world a favor by finally ending it." He shook his head in shame, "I didn't realize how much the world had truly changed. The world, it seems, has grown weary of war and conflict."

"What, exactly, are you trying to tell me, Darkstalker?" Winter asked curiously. He was surprised, to say the least, of this sudden turn of events. He never would have expected this, but he was quite relieved at it, nevertheless.

"I don't like Icewings, Winter. I never have and probably never will, but I'm beginning to understand that you aren't like most Icewings." Winter snorted in amusement and smiled lightly at that. After all, he had heard THAT before. Darkstalker, however, continued without commenting, "I know that you hate me and I don't blame you for that, but if you are willing to put aside your feelings for the greater good, then I should be able to do the same." He raised a paw in an obvious gesture of friendship and Winter stared at it for a moment before grasping it in a firm claw-shake. "You have earned my respect, Winter. For better or worse, I will follow your lead in the journey ahead."

Winter nodded sharply. "I don't think that this is the only thing that you wanted to speak to me about, though," he said after a moment.

"You noticed that, did you?" He looked down in thought for a while—probably trying to find a way to word whatever he wanted to say. "There aren't many dragons who can say that they've met a spirit. I happen to be one. The day before Moon released me from my…prison, the Nightwing spirit, Shade, came to me saying that I had been chosen to be his Champion before disappearing without another word." Winter blinked in slight surprise at that. That was completely different to how Aurora was with him.

"That is so odd," the Nightwing said. "I could sense your surprise, but then your mind went blank just like Moon said." They were both quiet for a second before, "Your spirit watches over you directly, doesn't it? It brought you back when you died."

Winter nodded, though he was a bit miffed that he called Aurora an 'it' when she was much more than that. "Her name is Aurora."

"Aurora?" He nodded as he seemingly came to a realization, "And just like that, I can hear her name in your thoughts. It seems that her existence is only known to the dragons you tell of her. I would recommend you not tell others unless you absolutely need to, Winter." The Icewing nodded. He had already figured as much from Moon not being able to notice her name in his thoughts, and the second part was just common sense. It looked like Darkstalker was going to say or ask something else was his attention was diverted to something behind Winter, and his eyes opened wide when he saw who it was.

Winter turned around and saw the familiar ghostly form of Aurora, "I have to admit that when Shade informed the other Spirits and I of his choice of Champion, we were all skeptical. I am glad that you proved us—proved me—wrong, Darkstalker." She looked over to her charge and smiled warmly at him, "Always a pleasure, Prince Winter."

He smiled back before Darkstalker asked in confusion, "How are you here, Aurora?"

"I'm not here—not really, anyway," she looked around the area before continuing. "This form is merely a…shadow, if you will. I can not come to the mortal plane directly, but I can still observe like this. Most of the time, dragons don't know that I'm even there."

"Most of the time?" both the Icewing and Nightwing asked at the same time.

The two of them looked between each other before Aurora replied, "The only reason you can see me, Darkstalker, is because Winter informed you of my existence. The reason Winter can see me is because he died, and his soul is now tied to me."

Winter looked at Aurora in utter confusion, "My soul is tied to you? What are you talking about? How?"

"There's no need to be alarmed. All I mean is that when you died, your soul was sent to the spirit world. In order for me to return you to the mortal world, I needed to anchor your soul to my own. You are very special in this regard, Winter." She smirked slightly before looking down, "As for how…it was the kiss we shared."

He felt Darkstalker's incredulous gaze on him, and when he looked, he could see that the Nightwing was barely holding back his laughter. Winter rolled his eyes in exasperation before a thought crossed his mind, "What did you mean, anchor?" An even more disturbing thought came next and his voiced wavered ever so slightly, "Aurora? Am I actually alive?"

She looked absolutely appalled at his insinuation, "Why would you even think that, Winter!? Of course you are alive!" She sighed and looked down for a moment before looking back to him, "A part of your soul is permanently tied to the spirit realm. I used my own essence to anchor the remainder of your soul to your body. I have been in this form ever since you awoke to keep your soul tied to this realm. Should I return fully to the spirit realm, your soul would come with me and your body would die once more, but I do not intend to do that to you, Winter. I will remain here until your body ages and dies like that of any mortal dragon."

Winter felt a comforting paw on his shoulder and was surprised to see that it was Darkstalker lending his support at this sudden inrush of this unsettling news. He looked at his guardian spirit with a sense of betrayal. After telling himself that he trusted her, she turns around and tells him something like this. "W-why didn't you tell me?" He was trying his hardest not to judge her too harshly. After all, he did say that he couldn't understand the mind and plans of a Spirit. That didn't mean that he wasn't hurt by her concealment of the full truth.

She sighed again and shame marred her features, "I just wanted to protect you, Winter. I didn't want the truth to hurt you, but neither would I lie to you." When Winter looked away for a moment, Aurora used her paw to cup his chin and gently made him look back at her, "I want you to trust me. I would NEVER do anything to hurt you, okay?" At his nod, she smiled as she released her hold on his chin and continued speaking, "Now then, if you wish, I will remain at a distance to observe and only come when you need me or I could stay by your side if that is what you want."

Winter thought about it for a moment before asking his own question, "Darkstalker and I are the only two aware of your existence, right?" She nodded with a smile. It didn't take Winter all that long to make up his mind. Aurora was his friend, and he DID trust her, so he couldn't take out his frustration for being kept out of the loop out on her. She was only doing what she thought was right. It's all anyone CAN do, after all. Though the idea of a Spirit watching him from a distance would sound like pure gold if someone was writing a cheesy adventure story of their own, he much rather preferred her to be close, so he could talk to her when needed.

As Darkstalker said, not everyone can claim to have met a Spirit. Apparently, he had gone beyond that and made friends with one. First Queens and now Spirits: if this kept up, he might begin to think that he was important somehow.

He mentally chuckled at that thought.

"If it's all the same to you, Aurora, I'd rather you be with me. Just…don't hide anything from me…please. If you want my trust, you need to trust me, too." His attention was diverted when he saw a familiar Mudwing walking through the village in the distance. Flint noticed Winter looking at him and waved with a smile. The Icewing smiled and waved back before speaking again, "A wise dragon once told me that secrets were like wedges that pull others apart. The less secrets there are, the easier it is to trust."

She smiled at the sight of the pure brotherly devotion and love on both of their faces. "You have had a hard life, Winter. I am glad that you found your brother when you did. He's probably the best thing to ever happen to you."

Winter looked over to her with his own smile, "One of them."

"Promise me something, Winter," her voice was serious, and he turned to regard her. "Whatever happens, you must promise that you will only ever see him for who he truly is on the inside." To say he was confused at her request would be an understatement, but he couldn't think on it or ask for clarification because Darkstalker interrupted his train of thought.

"Listen, I hate to interrupt this lovely matter, but it sounds like there's trouble coming from the Queen's pavilion, so we should go," the Nightwing didn't wait for a reply before running back they way they had come.

Winter looked to Aurora in confusion, but her face was surprisingly void of emotion. With nothing else to do, he ran back to the pavilion as well. He knew where the pavilion was, obviously, but if he didn't, it would be almost impossible to miss it due to the massive crowd of dragons gathered around it. The noise was on a whole other level. _Trouble!? It looks like the entire village is about to riot!_ He thought to himself as he stared slack-jawed at the scene before him.

Hundreds of Rainwings, Nightwings, Sandwings—which were also present in abundance—and many other dragons from the other tribes were gathered around the Queen's pavilion while Glory was trying her best to calm them. "They are afraid," came Aurora's voice.

Before he could ask what she meant, Turtle broke through the crowd and made his way towards Winter. "Oh, good, you're here! The villagers saw us packing up our supplies and everyone started going crazy! I don't think they want us to leave."

He could hear Glory's frantic attempts to keep the peace, but all it seemed to do was rile the crowd up more. Everyone, it seemed, was trying to be heard above the others, and nothing solid could be heard through the cacophony. He was about to do…something when he saw Darkstalker making his way over to him with a visible grimace of pain on his face, "Their fear is too strong! I can't completely block it all out, and it's giving me a splitting headache," he said to Winter's questioning look.

"They believe that you and your companions are the only thing stopping the Changewings from returning. The fear that when you leave, they will return to kill everyone." Aurora looked between him and Darkstalker before shaking her head in what seemed to be exasperation.

Winter took in a deep breath to—attempt to—calm the masses when he felt a firm paw on his shoulder, "Wait, do you hear that?" Darkstalker was scanning the crowd for something when many of the dragons began quieting. That was when he heard it. A familiar voice singing in a heavenly tune. He looked over to the Queen where the source was, and that is when he saw her. Moonwatcher was sitting next to the Queen with her eyes closed.

And she was singing.

**AN: If you're reading this for a second time, you'll notice that this part has slightly changed. If this is your first time, well...it changed slightly. I had lyrics on here, but someone reminded me that I wasn't exactly supposed to. I took these off, but I don't know why they were a problem when the lyrics from the earlier chapters weren't, but I am not going to argue. The song Moon sings right here is The Dawn Will Come by Trevor Morris.**

She wasn't the only one either, as the song went on, more and more dragons began adding there voice to hers, their fear almost forgotten by the sense of hope given to them by the lyrics.

Winter had closed his eyes at some point as he had also joined in, and when he opened them as the last notes rang out into the morning air, he saw that everyone in the courtyard was looking towards him. All of his friends—Blaze, Turtle, Kinkajou, Flint, Moon, Cataclysm, and even Darkstalker—had somehow gathered in a small semi-circle in front of him.

After the events in the rainforest, he would be an idiot if he didn't realize that the common dragon looked to him as a hero. Though he had never wanted to be one, he was one, nonetheless. They looked to the others in his group of friends as heroes, too, but as their leader, he had some sort of special-ness about him. They saw him for who he could be in times of need, and they saw how their Queen looked to him for advice, too. The guards from this morning must have spread the word of his place by her side—one that was usually only reserved for Deathbringer since he was usually the dragon in charge of security.

They recognized his importance, but no one was more shocked than he when, one by one, they bowed their heads in respect to him—including his friends. He shook his head in surprise before saying in an equally surprised voice, "My friends, you bow for no one." Then, in a quieter voice, "Least of all, me."

He had closed the remaining distance and attempted to lift the others up when he felt strong arms grab him and pull him into a familiar warm embrace, "You stay safe, Winter, and promise that you'll come back to me. I lost my sisters; I don't want to lose my brother, too." The normally stoic Mudwing's voice was filled with emotion, and Winter hugged him back all the tighter for it.

"I promise. I'll see you later, okay?" Flint nodded as he released him from his hold and Turtle and Kinkajou gave him a hug, too while his other friends shared hugs and emotional goodbyes between each other.

Winter saw two familiar Skywings come out from the crowd, and he smiled at them sadly, "I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you guys in a while."

Titan and Flare shared a look before Titan spoke, "That's okay, Winter. We understand. Flint told us what happened, and though some of it seems unbelievable, we know he wouldn't make any of that stuff up. It's good to see you well again."

"We came to visit you now and again," Flare picked up where her husband left off. "We wanted to speak to you when you woke up, but with everything that's happened, you were understandably busy."

Titan chuckled lightly before hoking, "I still can't believe that you're the same Winter from before. You seem more…noble and heroic now."

Winter glanced at Blaze when he said that and smiled genuinely, "Thanks, guys." He paused for a moment before saying, "Will you two be alright here by yourselves?"

Again the couple looked between each other before Titan replied, "You know that you have our support, Winter, but we aren't fighters. We'll be safer here. Besides…" he trailed off and looked to his wife who smiled widely at the Icewing.

"I'm gravid, Winter," Winter's mouth fell open and his eyes were wide in shock, but before he could stammer out a reply, she continued, "We wanted to make you the Godfather."

If he was speechless before, now, he was completely floored. "You've done so much for us, Winter," Titan started. "You gave us a job and a home when we had nowhere else to go. You gave us a purpose and a sense of belonging, and we can't thank you enough for that."

Winter was holding back tears at this sudden but welcome turn of events, and he came forward to bring two of his close friends into a hug that they gladly returned, "Thank you. You have no idea how happy you've just made me, and…I accept. Keep me informed, and I'll try to be there when he—or she—hatches."

"You better be," Flare whispered in his ears before pulling back and winking at him. "Now go. Save the world, Prince Winter."

He rolled his eyes with a smile playing at his mouth when he heard the crowd begin to break up. It seems that Glory had finally convinced them to go about their business, and his friends were separating into their separate groups.

Before they left, Turtle came up to him and gave him his healing rock and his piece of flint that can cure any poison. "You might need these," said the Seawing. "I can always enchant more."

Winter nodded before bringing him into a hug, "I hope your sister is okay."

"Yeah…me too," he turned back around and walked back to his group before turning around with a final parting, "Good luck, my friend."

"And to you, as well…my friend. Stay safe, all of you." With a last wave, Winter bid goodbye to Darkstalker, Turtle, Kinkajou, and Flint as they took flight in the direction of the Sea Kingdom.

Moon, Blaze, and Cataclysm gathered around Winter, waiting for his order to take flight. Their new Skywing was the first to break the silence, "So does our little band have a cool name or something?"

"Why would we need a name?" asked Moon.

"I don't know, but did anyone else notice that Winter is the only male in this group? It makes me wonder…Did he do it on purpose? After all, we're all single…" Winter could hear the teasing insinuation and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please, I don't think that I've ever been THAT desperate," was his comeback.

Cataclysm wasn't done yet, though, "HEY! That gives me an idea for a name! What about…Winter's Angels?"

Blaze was on the ground laughing with the other two directly following because Winter's face had gone from slightly annoyed to utterly bewildered—complete with wide eyes and full blush—so fast that if you blinked, you would have missed the change.

"W-we are not calling ourselves Winter's Angels," came his stammered reply. "Let's, uh, let's talk about this later. We should get going. Do we have all of the supplies we need?"

"Yep," came Moon's chipper response. "I have everything here in this satchel." The satchel in question was much bigger than her normal one. He didn't know if it was heavy or not, and it didn't really matter to him, anyway. He reached behind her neck and grabbed the strap from behind her shoulders, lifted it over her neck, and placed it around his own shoulders.

He smiled at her before turning around and motioning for the others to follow him. Since a good portion of the canopy was missing due to the fire, the group wouldn't have to walk all the way out of the rainforest. Flint and his group had done the same thing when the left, so he saw no reason why they couldn't do the same.

Once they were in the air, he let Cataclysm take the lead since she was the resident Skywing and observed his three comrades. Oddly, Aurora wasn't there at the moment, but he knew that she was close.

They had been flying for a few hours and had filled the time with friendly conversation. Since Cataclysm was the newest member of their merry, little band, she had been more than happy to talk about herself and what she liked, disliked, or didn't really have an opinion on. Like all Skywings, she loved to fly and fight—mostly in friendly spars—and, of course, she loved to win. She also revealed that while she was very friendly and enjoyed making new friends, it was hard for her to trust others due to something that happened in her past that she didn't want to talk about. When someone had her trust, however, she would defend them to her last breath.

She didn't like bullies or corrupt politicians since—in her words—they were basically the same thing. She hated when dragons thought they were better than others because of their station or level of wealth. Winter agreed with her on that one as did Moon. Blaze didn't comment.

The longer they spoke, the harder it was for Winter to think of Cataclysm as a Changewing. He knew WHAT she was, but WHO she was seemed to be more important. It made Winter think back to the argument he had with Flint after he…killed 'Mangrove.' He had said that it would take much more than words to convince him that all Changewings were nothing more than murdering, terrorist bastards.

Cataclysm was proving to be enough.

If there was one Changewing in a hundred—or even one in a thousand—Winter believed it was worth it to find them. Flint was right, after all.

The mere thought of his brother was enough to send Winter's mood into a downward spiral. Apparently, Moon had felt his inner turmoil because she lightly bumped his wing. He saw the concern on her face when he turned to regard her. When Moon and Winter broke from the conversation, the other two stopped, too, to make sure that they were all right. Then, Aurora's ghostly form appeared on the other side of Moon.

Winter mentally smacked himself. As much as he missed Flint right now, he had to remember that he wasn't alone. He had four friends on his side and watching his back. He had noticed that when his mood had turned sour, all of them had turned to make sure that he was well. They didn't let him stew in his own pit of despair.

He smiled back at them. With that, the slightly tense silence had turned more companionable. It lasted for no more than a few minutes before Winter broke it, "Hey, Moon?"

"Yeah?" she slowed down her flight so she was flying beside him once again since she had gone forward earlier to speak with Cataclysm.

"You never did tell me what happened to you and the others in that cave."

"I could tell you the same," she smirked before it fell. "Flint told us what happened. All of you were lucky to make it out alive. It's almost like someone was looking out for all of you."

Winter's gaze drifted over to Aurora, who was looking at him in amusement after Moon's comment, and he smiled to himself, "Almost…" Aurora may have entered his life not so long ago, but, already, he couldn't imagine what life would be like without her. To know that a higher power was watching over you…

He smiled to himself again as he looked ahead once more. Not so long ago, he didn't even believe in a higher power. Now though… He couldn't remember anything about the Spirit Realm, but the fear that most dragons have of the afterlife didn't affect him because he knew that his soul would return with Aurora to her realm. He was content—even happy—of the fate that awaited him in the great beyond.

Other than Aurora, Flint and Moon meant more to him than most. He wished that they could meet Aurora. It was tempting to just tell Moon right now, but he knew that he couldn't. Not yet, at least. Maybe one day, though.

He turned his attention back to Moon when he realized that she was beginning her story.

_After hearing Flint's and Winter's misgivings about Secretfire, I was on guard. I could tell that something was off, but I didn't want to believe that the Nightwing that we've been working with for the last year was a Changewing. He seemed genuinely concerned about the welfare of his tribe. It's hard to imagine that anyone could fake that._

_ I had been looking around at the others while lost in my own thoughts before I heard Secretfire's voice, "Alright, fine, I suppose that'll work. Let's get moving, we don't have time to waste." _

_ Everyone started splitting up into their separate groups. Flint lead Winter, Darkstalker, and Kinkajou down one tunnel while Turtle, Blaze, and I followed Secretfire down the other. We had just crossed the threshold into our tunnel when I heard Winter's thought projecting out of where he went, _Moon, tell Turtle to do what he has to if things go south_. I tried staying with him as long as I could, but the further apart we got, the more I had to concentrate on keeping the connection until I had started falling behind slightly._

_ I felt a paw on my shoulder. It was so sudden, and I had been concentrating so hard that I had no idea who it was, and it scared me. I felt another paw over my mouth to keep me from screaming before the identity of my assailant was revealed._

_ "Shh, it's okay, Moon. It's me. Kinkajou." She spoke in a whisper while she was camouflaged so as not to alert the others._

_ Speaking of the others, they had stopped a few hundred feet ahead once they had noticed my absence, and Turtle was heading back this way to see what the hold up was. "Hey, Moon? Are you okay?"_

_ I didn't answer him right away and instead whispered back to Kinkajou, "Why are you here?"_

_ Turtle looked confused as to the question but understood immediately when the invisible Rainwing began to speak, "Flint wanted me to keep an eye on you guys. He doesn't trust Secretfire."_

_ "Why not?" asked Turtle. "We've been working with him for almost a year."_

_ "I don't either, Turtle. Winter felt that something was off, and I feel like we should trust his judgement," I said. Turtle looked at me dubiously. It took every ounce of control I had not to yell at him and instead I said, with an ounce of warning, "He may not have his voice or some of his memories, but you shouldn't doubt him. He's the same dragon that surpassed everyone else in battle strategy class."_

_ "You mean before he left Jade Mountain?" Turtle shot back with slight venom._

_ "And who's fault was it that he left?" The Seawing had enough sense to look slightly ashamed. "We spent so much time worrying about ourselves that we didn't realize that one of our friends was suffering!"_

_ Turtle sighed, "I know. I'm sorry. It wasn't fair of me to say that." Claw steps could be heard coming back in our direction, so I knew we had to wrap this up. Luckily Turtle did, too. "I don't doubt him, Moon. The guy's a tactical genius. I'm just scared is all."_

_ Turtle had started rubbing his cheek on thin air, and I only had to guess that Kinkajou was trying to comfort him. The sight would have been funny in any other situation, though. "Oh, and Turtle?" I said before the others could come in range to hear our whispered conversation. He looked back at me, "Winter said for you to do whatever needs to be done."_

_ The Seawing's expression darkened, and I saw him clenching his talons in anger before he looked back up at me with a determined nod. I knew he didn't like using his powers anymore, but he knew just how dangerous this situation was. He might not have a choice._

"_What's the hold up?" asked a clearly annoyed Secretfire._

_Before I could say anything, Turtle replied, "She's scared is all. I was just trying to calm her down." I would have thrown him a death glare if we weren't trying to avoid suspicion. I wasn't scared. Anxious maybe but not scared. As it was, though, I merely nodded while trying to act like I was, in fact, scared._

_It was easier than I thought. When we started walking again, I happened to think about Winter. He was the Changewings' main target. He may have had Flint and Darkstalker with him, but as he was right now, I wasn't sure if he would be able to handle a dangerous situation._

_Not long after that, we came into a large room. It was probably large enough to hold twelve or so dragons comfortably. There were torches lighting the bottom portion, but the ceiling was shrouded in shadows. There were also three other doorways along the back wall._

_I was standing in the back of the group when the others spread out to search the room. I thought that it was a bad idea to split up like Turtle was doing since I watched him go down the right-side hallway. Blaze was looking around the center room nervously. If it was anyone else, I might feel sorry for them, but she was after Winter, too._

_In a completely different way, of course, but still…_

_Secretfire followed me into the center hallway which lead to what appeared to be a storage area. It wasn't far off from the main room, so I could still hear everyone's thoughts._

_Kinkajou was with Turtle in the right tunnel/room—whatever it was. Secretfire was with me, and Blaze was with…_

_Wait a minute…_

_Wasn't there only five of us?_

_I turned around with a sudden sense of urgency just in time to hear a scream coming from the main room. It didn't matter that I wasn't very fond of Blaze at the moment because I wasn't going to just sit there and let her die. In my rush, I had forgotten my sense of caution and was unprepared for the sudden surprise attack that came from the oh so obvious source._

_He had me pinned and helpless in a matter of seconds. He wasn't the captain of the NightShowers for nothing, apparently. "Don't move," I heard him say. "Despite what you're probably thinking, I don't want to hurt you." He was calm…almost regretful._

_As I lay there completely at his mercy, I heard another scream from Blaze, followed by Turtle's horrified yell, "BLAZE!" Then, I felt a massive wave of heat followed by screams of agony that didn't sound like any of my other friends. Turtle must have unintentionally let slip some of his power when he yelled her name._

_I felt the dragon on top of me lunge to the side suddenly before the sound of a wet splash was heard directly behind me on the wall. "Wait! Wait, stop!" I turned around to see Secretfire on the ground surrendering and an angry Kinkajou staring at him with barely restrained fury._

_It looked like she was going to ignore his pleas, but I held her in check, "Let him speak." She wasn't happy but obliged._

"_Show us who you really are, Secretfir," I commanded, but he looked up at me helplessly._

"_I'm…I'm not a Changewing," he removed all of his armor to prove it to us, and I sat back in shock as I comprehended what he was saying. He wasn't a Changewing, but he was helping them regardless._

"_Why!?" I all but screamed at him._

_He had the decency to look ashamed, "I just wanted to save my tribe. They told me that if I helped kill the Icewing, then they would spare my village. Please… You have to believe me. It was a stupid thing to do, but I did it with the best intentions."_

"_The best intentions?" Kinkajou scoffed. "Some of the worst things imaginable come from the 'best intentions.'"_

_I had to agree with Kinkajou, but there was something in his eyes that told me he was being sincere. I didn't want to kill him, and I think that, deep down, Kinkajou didn't want to kill a dragon who wasn't a Changewing, either. It went against everything that we stood for._

"_Go," I told him. "Leave. The second you step into the village, you'll be executed for treason, so go."_

_To say that Kinkajou was beyond livid was an understatement, but she didn't try to stop him on the way out. Before he left completely, though, he turned back to me and said, "I'll make up for my mistakes one day. I hope that you'll let me when the time comes. Don't tell them what I did, please. Tell my Queen that I'm sorry for failing her." I nodded._

_And with that he disappeared into a secret tunnel behind the barrels in the back wall. I motioned for Kinkajou to head back out into the main room. We were met with the sight of a corpse burned beyond recognition and a wounded Blaze. It didn't look too bad, though. She would live._

"_The chakram embedded itself in the bone. I can't get it out," came Turtle's voice. I could tell that he was panicking, but he was trying to calm an even more panicked Blaze. _

_We had no time to waste, though. If we were attacked, chances are that Winter and the others were, too. "We need to go help the others!" I ordered. "Can you walk?" I asked the Sandwing. She nodded. I had to give her points for that._

_Turtle nodded. "Let me grab my bag first. I found a bunch of important-looking documents." I nodded. That might come in handy._

_Thirty seconds later, we were all half-running down the hallways to try and reach the others. Even at that speed, it took almost five minutes to get to where the sounds of pain and battle were coming from._

_When we entered the massive cavern that could've easily held at least three of the other room, we were met with a grisly sight. Darkstalker was groaning in pain on the floor while an unconscious Flint was laying on top of him with at least three chakrams embedded in his scales. There were holes and pillars of earth everywhere. What could have made those?_

_The last sight, though, made my heart stop. Winter was shackled to the ground with a stake held by 'Deathbringer' racing towards his heart. I thought about screaming. I had just gotten him back, and now I was about to witness Winter die all over again. I would have screamed had not someone else beat me to it, "STAKE, TURN TO SAND!" I looked to Turtle who had yelled out the command before looking back to Winter who looked as relieved as I felt—if not more so. "SHACKLES, BREAK!"_

_I had always known that Winter was a fighter. I caught glimpses of him during the fighting eight years ago during the conclusion of the Icewing-Nightwing war. That was from a distance, though, and I had had other things to focus on that day as well._

_Seeing him in action now, however, was something else entirely. He moved with such grace—even in his weakened state—that the stunned Nightwing imposter was on the ground in seconds. All of us watching were either in no condition to fight, or we just weren't fighters. We watched as Winter's teeth lunged for his enemy's throat, only to catch a foreleg brought up in defense. _

_I could see the struggle unfolding between the both of them, but I was more focused on Winter's eyes. They held a ferociousness that I was all too familiar with but had not been there since he awoke from his coma. For a brief moment, I thought that a small part of him had returned. This new Winter was much too mellow. He didn't have the raging blizzard in his soul that made him so unique._

_My hopes were short-lived, however, when a pillar of earth shot out from the ground and Winter went flying across the room, a good chunk of the Changewing's leg with him, and landed in a heap on the wall. I heard the screams of pain followed by even more screams when I saw Kinkajou spit into the fresh wound from the corner of my eye. I heard Blaze run over there and could only assume that she must have stabbed him with her barb, as well._

_Right before Winter lost consciousness, I saw his mouth moving like he wanted to say something, yet I heard no words. Then, his head slumped to the ground. I ran over to him to make sure he was all right. His breathing was strong if a bit ragged, but I was sure he and Darkstalker would live. Flint, though, "Turtle, Flint needs healing!"_

_I looked over to him and saw him pulling the bracers off of the corpse. They gleamed with an unnatural light. They must have been animus-touched. There weren't many animus dragons on Pyrrhia. Darkstalker no longer had his powers, Jerboa was well-hidden, and Stonemover had vowed to never use his powers again. That only left, "Anemone."_

_Turtle had whispered it, and when I looked over to him, I saw a look of pure anguish on his face. I don't thing I've ever seen him that sad before. I didn't like it. After a few seconds, Turtle shook himself before healing Flint. Kinkajou had volunteered to run back to the village for help, so all that was left to do was wait…and pray that our friends were okay._

**AN: I hope you guys liked it. What did you think about Winter's speech in the Queen's pavilion? The POV switch? Darkstalker making up with Winter and meeting Aurora? **

**Looking forward to your thoughts. Read, review, but most of all just enjoy the story.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	12. Chapter 11

Dragons Change

**AN: I realize that this took an _extremely_ long time to come out, and I apologize for that. I have no excuse.**

**Actually, that's not true. I have plenty of excuses, but I don't have a good _reason_. **

**This chapter was mostly filler, and as I said before, filler chapters just never want to get done. It mostly focuses on deepening Winter's relationships with the other members of his group. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO YELL AT ME FOR ANYTHING IN THIS CHAPTER! I have multiple contingencies for different scenarios in place. A few of the things that happen in this chapter are part of said contingencies.**

**WARNING: There is a part with minor-in my opinion, at least-adult themes in this chapter. This is most likely as descriptive as I will get in the future, too. There will be no lemons, as I said before.**

**On a side note: Did everybody like the part last chapter with the flashback in Moon's POV? If so, I'm thinking about doing a side project where I write certain scenes from Dragons Change in different POVs. For example: writing from Moon's POV when 'Qibli' attacks the Sanctuary or Darkstalker's POV when he gets revived. Food for thought, anyway. If you want to see a specific scene from a specific character's view, send me a review or a PM to let me know.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint and Aurora belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner, BizmuthTheRainwing. Coverart belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 11:

Winter was quiet for several seconds as he tried to digest Moon's story and all of the important things that he missed. "So, I'm a tactical genius, huh?"

He looked over to Moon and saw that she was giving him a 'Really?' kind of look. "Are you serious, right now? Back at Jade Mountain, you were teaching the class almost as much as Tsunami was. Even she put aside her annoyance at being schooled by her own student for begrudging respect that you knew so much on the subject."

He looked away, slightly embarrassed at the praise and saw that Cataclysm was paying close attention to their conversation. "So you happen to be a tactical genius ON TOP of being charming, charismatic, handsome, and a natural-born leader?"

"Uh, I guess?" He was blushing fully now and was becoming uncomfortable with the amount of praise being heaped on him now. He still couldn't believe that his friends had actually bowed in respect to him earlier. Yes, everyone else was doing it, so they probably only did it in the heat of the moment. They probably didn't really mean it like that, but if they did…

Others might have let that swell their ego, but it just sickened Winter to think that his friends might see him as above them or better than the common dragon. He didn't want to be seen like that. He just wanted to be seen as an equal. He wanted a normal life. Granted, the situation that they found themselves in was far from normal, but still…

He could dream, right?

Apparently sensing his internal dilemma, Moon decided to change the subject, "How DO you know so much about battle strategy, Winter?"

Winter didn't say anything right away. Rather, he looked forward as his mind drifted back to the past. He had never been as good as his brother and sister in anything other than as a tactician. It was the one thing that happened to be his saving grace. He didn't understand why, but whenever he looked at a strategic map, he knew the best ways to defeat an enemy: sabotage, subterfuge, flanking, force multipliers, psychological warfare, the element of surprise, tactical retreats—tactical repositionings, he should say…Icewings don't retreat—when to move up and when to hold ground. It came naturally to him. He was never taught any of this stuff. He just…knew.

Maybe it was Aurora's doing, but when he looked at her, she shook her head as if knowing what he was thinking. It didn't really make sense that she was the one to gift him this knowledge, but he still wanted to know why he knew so much on a subject that most dragons spent years—decades even—studying. What made him so special?

Winter wasn't complaining, though! Absolutely not! He loved seeing older dragons' faces when he just starts going on about tactics that they never even thought of and yet would work provided certain requirements were met: such as numbers or weapon types.

It was all hypothetical and theoretical, of course. Winter had never actually planned a full-scale battle…or any-scale battle, for that matter, yet he knew—and others knew—that given the chance, he would be able to.

That happened to be the one thing that saved him from being disowned by his parents as soon as they realized he wasn't as good as his siblings in everything else. That was his one trump card. Apparently, it wasn't enough, though, since he still got disowned AND exiled from his tribe. Fun times, right?

Still, he couldn't complain too much, he supposed. He had friends now—real friends—that he wouldn't trade for his old position as Prince of the Icewings. He had been quiet and in thought for so long, though, that another tense silence had fallen over the group as they tried to gauge his mood. Not wanting to extend said tense silence, he spoke, "It's a gift, I guess. I don't know why I know so much about strategy. Maybe it's just how my mind works? I can look at a map and tell you the best ways to place troops to counter an enemy attack and vice versa." The others were looking at him in slight awe for that, but for him, it was normal. It wasn't a big deal.

After that, Blaze and Cataclysm started talking about fashion topics like jewelry and scale highlights and other stuff he had no idea even existed. Moon was looking between them and him with a slightly awkward expression. It was obvious that she wanted to join their conversation but didn't want to leave him to fly by himself. She flew up to join them once Winter gave her a reassuring smile, though. He didn't really have anything to add to their conversation, and he didn't want to hog all of the attention. He was okay with flying by himself for a while.

Funny…just over a year ago he lost his temper with Turtle saying goodbye to his co-workers at Jade Mountain because he had been left out of the conversation for over five minutes.

…

CHARACTER GROWTH!

In all seriousness, though, there were many other things that caught his attention from Moon's story. Since it was a two day flight to the Sky Kingdom Capital, he had plenty of time to think about it since they had only left the rainforest around four hours ago. Speaking of which, he could see that Blaze was getting tired from the constant flying. Though she was more used to a rough life compared to eight years ago, she still wasn't in peak condition like himself, Cataclysm, or even Moon to a degree. "I think we'll find a place to stop for the night after another hour or so. Is that okay?" He received a relieved nod from Blaze, a smile from Moon—to which he smile back—and an eye roll from Cataclysm.

You know, since she's a Skywing and everything.

And they like to fly…

In the sky…

…

…

Moving on…

Arguably, the most important detail was that Secretfire wasn't a Changewing, yet he had decided to work with them because he wanted to save his tribe—or tribes, as the case may be. It was a noble goal—one that Winter himself respected—but Secretfire had done the wrong thing for the right reasons…so speak.

He didn't think that he would have let Secretfire go if he had been the one the Nightwing had attacked. If he had been in Moon's place, one of them probably wouldn't be coming out of that room alive. Then again, he wasn't there, so the point in and of itself was moot.

That whole conundrum posed a very serious question, though. If Secretfire—who wasn't a Changewing—was working with them, could other Pyrrhians be Changewing agents? If so, who and how many?

Considerably less obvious, but no less important was Raven's true identity. Well, not just her identity, but she created an interesting picture in Winter's mind. Raven had been hired to the Sanctuary rather than volunteering, and she never spoke about her past. If she had been a Changewing for the full two and a half years that she had been there, what was her purpose?

He knew that Qibli had been replaced, and his imposter had been watching Moon. Raven was watching him. Thorn had been replaced, probably to be close to Sunny. Deathbringer had been replaced so an operative could be close to Glory. There was a glaring pattern that was beginning to form in his mind.

Were they specifically targeting the Dragonets of Destiny and original members of the Jade Winglet? How long have the Changewings been here and how much did they actually know? If they were targeting some of the most respected dragons on Pyrrhia, they had to know more than Winter gave them credit for.

How many villains in the past had been Changewings in disguise? Or was he simply reading to far into this? Idle speculation wouldn't get them anywhere, so it wasn't wise to do it. He might come to assumptions that weren't true. He needed more facts, and he couldn't get those any time soon, so it would be best to go on what he KNEW to be fact.

Prince Cliff's life and the military might of the entire Sky Kingdom was in danger. Whether she knew or not, and whether she wanted it or not, Queen Ruby needed his help. If the Skywings fell, Pyrrhia itself wouldn't be far behind.

That being said, even if they foiled the Changewing plot here, he had to hope that Turtle could save his sister. An animus could be used to devastating effect by their enemy.

"I found a good landing spot!" called Blaze from the front. He saw her looking back to him for his approval, so he looked around and spotted the area she was no doubt referring to. There was a small pond in a clearing that looked big enough to hold around six fully grown dragons. The forest surrounding it wasn't particularly thick since they were nearing the mountains' foothills. He gave Blaze a nod to which she responded by quickly flying down and landing in a heap next to the pond while he and the others drifted down almost lazily.

He chuckled at the ex-princess' shenanigans before reaching into the satchel around his neck and pulling out a familiar river rock and gave it to her, "Here, Blaze. This will help ease the tension in your muscles."

She looked up and took it gently before giving Winter a small smile, "Thanks, Prince Winter."

"No problem, Blaze. We need to look out for each other, after all." He received a slightly guilty look because of the hidden meaning in his words, but she nodded, nonetheless.

Cataclysm had volunteered to go hunting for their food to which he asked Moon to go with her. "I can hunt just fine on my own, though! I don't need any help!"

He looked over at Moon and smirked, remembering how good of a hunter she was during their first class hunting trip at Jade Mountain. "Moon's a good hunter, too. She won't slow you down, if that's what you're worried about. Besides, we're all potential targets for the Changewings. While I doubt there are any this far from any settlement, it would ease my mind if no one went anywhere alone."

Everyone seemed to pause slightly at his warning and became slightly more cautious to their surroundings. After reassuring them that they would be fine but asking them to return before the sun went down, Moon and Cataclysm went off to find some food. "I'm going to go look for some firewood. Yell if you need me, Blaze." She nodded and, satisfied, he went into the nearby copse of trees to find some good logs to burn.

At the very least, they wouldn't find it hard to light the wood even if it was wet—which it was, ever so slightly. Blaze, Moon, and Cataclysm could all breathe fire, so this slightly damp wood would burn just as well as dry wood would.

After about ten minutes, he had found a suitable amount of firewood and was in the process of bringing it back when he heard something that made his heart skip a beat. He heard Blaze yelling out…in pain.

He immediately dropped his load of wood and sprinted through the trees to where they were setting up camp. He feared what he might see when he broke through the trees. Had she been attacked? Were there Changewings even this far out? If so, were Moon and Cataclysm still safe or had they been attacked, too?

His mind was racing with all the different scenarios playing through his head but was floored by what he actually saw. Blaze was contorting her body in extremely awkward ways while trying to get those hard to reach places with the river rock. He could see the grimace of pain on her face. She was probably hurting herself as much as helping herself at this point.

He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly, and her eyes snapped over to him. She blushed slightly before relaxing her body's posture and looking away, embarrassed. Without saying a word, Winter walked over to where she was laying, sat down, and placed a comforting paw on her shoulder. She looked up at him, questioningly, and he opened his other paw, silently asking for the rock. She obliged and looked away with a frustrated huff. Apparently, she thought that he was taking it away from her.

He smirked before placing the rock where he noticed she was trying to reach herself. The rock was small enough to fit in his palm, so he was using as much rock as he was paw. She flinched slightly at the contact but quickly relaxed as the rock's magic began working its wonders. He traced her spine from the base of her neck to the middle of her back. He didn't want to make this situation any more embarrassing than it was for either of them, so he kept it as professional as possible.

Since she was older than he was, she stood about three heads taller than he himself did, so he had to really reach for what he was doing. Eventually, Blaze laid her head on her front paws, closed her eyes, and let out a content sigh. He knew that she still had a crush on him, so this was probably like a dream come true for her. He would also be lying to himself if he didn't think that she was attractive, too. Without taking into consideration personal emotions, the three most attractive dragonesses that Winter had ever seen would be Aurora, Blaze, then Moon.

He also personally knew and cared about all three of them. Sure, there were differing degrees or different types of relationships, altogether, but he still cared for each of them, regardless. He loved Moon, but he was unsure if their current relationship—if you wanted to call it that—would last. As much as he hated to say—or even think this—he had Blaze on the hook.

He remembered everything from when he didn't have his memories. That included their little impromptu cuddle session when he first woke up. The things that he had decided on back then still held true today. If Moon moved on from him or went back to being with Qibli if—or when—he was found, Blaze would be his backup.

That sounded extremely terrible, and he knew that, but he wanted to be prepared for every situation. If Moon were to reject him again when he was ready to be in a relationship, he didn't think he could stand to be on his own again. That's why he had Blaze on the hook.

She wasn't his backup just because, though. He honestly did want to get to know her better. Yes, she was attractive. Yes, she had a crush on him. No, he did NOT want to take advantage of that. He wanted to know who she was. He wanted to know what made her…her.

He realized now that he had kind of been ignoring her for the past couple of days, and it made him feel extremely guilty considering the fact that he was/had been considering a relationship with her. As soon as Moon confessed, he had just dropped Blaze, and it made him feel horrible. It was one of the reasons why he took Blaze in his group. He wanted to make it up to her.

He stopped with his massaging when he realized that she was asleep and lay down next to her after taking off the satchel he still had around his neck, putting it on the ground beside them, and placing the rock inside of it. She had a smile on her sleeping face, and he had to admit to himself that he liked seeing her smile. "Blaze?" He called her name quietly, and her eyes fluttered open, and she looked over at him with a questioning gaze. "I'm sorry that I haven't really payed much attention to you over the past few days."

She was surprised, that's for sure, "Oh, uh…That's okay, Prince Winter."

He shook his head, half amused and half frustrated—at himself mostly, "It's just Winter, please. You don't need to be so formal with me. And no, it's not okay. I know that you have feelings for me…" She looked away, embarrassed, but he continued, "And there's nothing wrong with that. Despite what Moon may say or think, the two of us aren't in an actual relationship yet. Yes, we may love each other, but Moon loves someone else, too. As much as I want her feelings for me to be genuine, I have a sickening feeling that it's her grief talking and not her. She lost Qibli, her mother, and then thought that she lost me when I…died. I think she's so attached to me because she believes that she doesn't have anyone else. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but…"

Winter sighed heavily and shook his head, "I want to believe. I really do…but I don't want to be hurt again like I was before. My point to all of this being that it was wrong of me to know about your feelings—even share them to a small degree—yet still ignore it." He smiled at her shocked expression, "Until I myself say that I am in a relationship with Moon or whoever else, you still have a chance, Blaze. Don't give up."

To accentuate his point, he leaned in and, ever so slightly, kissed her cheek before getting up and walking back into the woods to retrieve the wood that he had dropped. _I've spent too much time with Flint,_ he thought to himself, _I'm turning into a sappy Mudwing who is WAY too affectionate for his own good._ He chuckled slightly. _Though I would much rather be too sappy than stuck-up like I used to be._ His smile fell as he reached down to pick up the fallen logs. _You have much less friends that way._

He spent a moment trying to gather his bearings as memories of his past at Jade Mountain and his dragonet-hood in the Ice Kingdom came back to haunt him for a moment. Winter took a deep breath as he cleared his mind of such thoughts. He was healing—that was for sure—but he still wasn't fully healed.

Just as he was turning around to start heading back to the camp with an armful of wood, he heard a very familiar voice, "I'm proud of you, Winter."

He stopped and turned around to see the ghostly form of Aurora standing there with a small smile. "What for?" he asked, confused.

She walked forward and stopped by his side before motioning back to the camp. She wanted to walk and talk. He complied, yet she was silent for close to a minute before she started speaking, "You have come a long way in such a short time."

Winter blinked. He was still confused, "What do you mean?"

She chuckled softly at that and looked at him with amusement, "It means a lot of things actually, but let's focus on the one that I meant." She gained a somewhat serious look before she asked her own question, "Think hard before you answer, Winter. How do you feel?"

At first, he thought she was asking in case he was in any pain due to him not having a full soul, but that didn't really make sense. He had felt fine so far, so why should now be any different? So, instead, he decided to take the question at face value. How did he feel? "I'm nervous…because it feels like so much is resting on my shoulders. I'm scared of losing Moon, Flint, Blaze, and everyone else I care about. I'm sad because Flint and the others aren't here with me to help me through this…" He trailed off as the sound of laughter reached his ears. He looked forward and saw that Cataclysm and Moon had returned, and the three of them were telling jokes and funny stories. He smiled, "But I'm also happy that I have friends that care about me now. That's what you meant, isn't it?"

Her smile returned at his question, "Yes. You are healing yourself by BEING yourself among your group of friends. This is where you belong, Winter—with dragons that care about you." Her smile fell and it almost looked like she was about to cry, "I am…so sorry for what you had to experience at such a young age. I had always known that you were special, and I wanted to save you from the horrors of the Ice Kingdom, but I couldn't. You must understand that fate is a fickle thing. If I had saved you back then, you wouldn't have the resolve you have now, and Pyrrhia itself would be doomed without you leading the charge against the Changewings."

Winter's eyes were wide and his mouth hung open in stunned disbelief. She had wanted to save him? And she blamed herself for everything that happened to him? "Aurora…" She looked over at him when he placed a paw on her shoulder. Even though she was a Spirit, Winter could still feel solid contact when he touched her. He could only assume that it was due to them being 'anchored' together, as she put it. "I don't blame you for what happened. Yes, my first few years were hell, but…if saving me from that would have lead to me not attending Jade Mountain, meeting my friends there, finding a brother in Flint, I wouldn't have changed a single thing." He shook his head for emphasis.

She looked genuinely surprised at that, "If I had, though, you never would have experienced so much hatred and cruelty. You wouldn't have needed to heal because you would never have been hurt. Even if you never met your friends, you still would have found other friends. Why wouldn't you want it to change?"

"Because that's what it means to be mortal," he said quietly, "We can't change the past. If we make mistakes, we learn from them. If we fail at something, we try again. If we get hurt…we heal. Life throws us some nasty punches, but we just have to roll with them. We take comfort in the simple joys because we know that if we didn't, we wouldn't be able to live at all." He was looking at his three friends when he said this and when he turned to gauge her expression, she had vanished again.

He didn't blame her for that, though. As a Spirit, an immortal being, mortality and death were simply incomprehensible to her. She was no doubt watching from a distance while thinking about his words to her.

Another round of laughter reached his ears, and he decided that it was time to join his three friends in their merry banter. They saw him once he exited the woods, and Cataclysm came over to help him with the wood. Night was beginning to fall, and they needed a fire not only for food, but for warmth and light. At least warmth for them, anyway. He didn't mind the cold since he was an Icewing. Within minutes, though, the fire was blazing, their food was cooking, and Winter had joined them in their laughter.

They had been awake long into the night after eating their meal, telling jokes to pass the time and ease the tension of what lay ahead of them when Cataclysm asked, "Okay, who's next?" The laughter gradually subsided and eventually all eyes turned to Winter.

"What?" He asked, concerned. "Is there something on my face?" He crossed his eyes to try and look at his nose, and the others giggled at his antics. He stopped and chuckled along with them.

"Tell us a joke, Winter," Moon said with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure that Icewings should have at least a few funny ones," Cataclysm pointed out.

Winter went slightly deadpan at that, "You know, the words 'Icewing' and 'funny' shouldn't be in the same sentence. He received several amused snickers from that.

"Come on, Winter. Tell us joke!"

"Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!"

Winter rolled his eyes when they started chanting but, ultimately, granted their wish. "Okay, okay!" He made gestures for them to calm down and they did. All eyes were on him as they waited with bated breath. He thought for a second before the perfect joke came to mind, "What's black, white, and red all over?"

They started to think about his question. Several minutes passed as they tried to figure it out, but none of them had guessed yet. "What is it?" Blaze eventually asked.

A smile started making its way onto Winter's face as he answered, "A penguin with a sunburn!" He barely finished the sentence before he had busted out laughing. However, after a while, he noticed their confused or bored expressions.

"Well, he was right about one thing," started Cataclysm, "'Icewings' and 'funny' do NOT go together!" The others started laughing at this.

"Hey! I resent that! That joke was funny!" He yelled in annoyance.

"Yeah, if you're an Icewing!" Moon tried to joke. She realized too late that his angry expression was genuine as he got up and simply walked away.

He walked for a few minutes before he sighed and sat down, his anger already gone. _I know they were just playing around. I shouldn't have gotten that angry, but I did. Why did that affect me so much?_

"Because despite how well you hide it, you still hurt inside," a familiar voice broke through his thoughts. He turned to see Moon there with a guilty expression. "I should have realized sooner that you were hurting. We—I—shouldn't have gone as far as I did. I'm sorry."

She came up and sat down next to him, waiting patiently for his response. He sighed, "No, Moon, I'm sorry for getting as worked up as I did and for making you and the others worry." He paused again. This time the silence lasted for several minutes as an emotional struggle was going on in Winter's head, until, "You shouldn't have to see me like this. This is my problem to solve."

He felt a paw on his shoulder and looked over at its owner to see that Moon had worry in her eyes, "It shouldn't have to be, Winter. You have dragons that want to help you. _I_ want to help you, but you have to let me in."

He remembered her saying something similar the night that he left Jade Mountain. He felt her squeeze his shoulder as the memory washed through him, "I still don't want you to be dragged down by my problems, Moon."

He felt her paw grab his chin, and she turned his head so she could look into his eyes, "Is that what this whole thing is about? Is that why you are so hesitant to be in a relationship with me? Because you don't want to 'drag me down?'" He felt her other paw reach up to where she was cupping his cheeks in her paws as she gave him a serious look, "Because if it is, let me make this abundantly clear. I. Love. You. I love you for who you are, both good and bad, and I want to help you." Winter could feel moisture building up in his eyes because he knew that she was right.

He was afraid of hurting her.

"You know something? Cataclysm and I watched you massaging Blaze." Winter froze at that, and Moon shifted to where she was sitting next to him with a wing draped across his back and her head resting against his neck. "I heard everything you said, too, and it made me think a few things. For example, are my feelings for you only caused by grief? Do I still love Qibli? Am I mad at you for making moves on someone who clearly isn't me?" He could tell that she was teasing on that last question, but it only served to make him more uncomfortable as to where this conversation might be going.

"I thought about those things for the entire time you were gone and for most of the time we were all sharing jokes and stuff, and I finally answered those questions."

"Y-you did?" he asked nervously.

"Yep. Do you want to know the answers?"

_No. _"Yes."

"Well which is it?" She laughed. "I can't do both."

_Yes. _"No."

He felt her head lift off of his neck, and he looked down at her—expecting her to be annoyed—only to find that she was smiling at him. "How about this? Nod yes or shake your head no."

He nodded.

"Good." She chuckled slightly before she rested her head back onto his neck and continued. "I have to admit that the first question gave me the most trouble. I believe that grief played a part, yes, but only a part. My feelings for you are genuine, Winter. I know that for a fact. It broke my heart watching you leave Jade Mountain. I knew that you had feelings for me, of course, but I didn't realize how deep they truly ran. I grieved back then, too. I grieved the loss of a close friend. You were a jerk back then, yes, but I know why now. I think, had you stayed after your confession that night, things might have turned out differently. The first time Qibli told me that he loved me was my sixth birthday—over a year later." She looked up at him, "But you told me that night. It was the second time someone besides my mother said those words to me."

Winter's brows furrowed, "Who was the first?"

She hesitated a bit before answering, "Darkstalker."

…

…

"WHAT!? Why that little—!"

"Winter! Hey, it's okay. It was a long time ago, and I don't think I shared it. I cared about him. I really did. I believed that he was misunderstood. He was living in a time much different than when he came from, and he didn't understand right from wrong." Winter was silent as he soaked in this information.

"What about now? Do you still care about him?"

"Yes. And he cares about me. Our relationship is more like brother and sister now, though." Winter nodded and released a breath before Moon continued, "The second question was easy to answer. I did love Qibli once. Now, though, he isn't here. Whether he's dead or missing, I don't know. All I know is that the Qibli that I loved has been gone for a long time. By the way, since I know you were curious… If it came down to me having to choose between the two of you, I think you know who I would pick."

Winter chuckled awkwardly, "You heard that, did you?"

"Of course I did." He felt her shift slightly, "I, uh, enjoy being inside your mind."

…

"What exactly is that supposed to mean, Moon?" He had to admit that while he was caught of guard with her little confession, he took some pride in the fact that she liked being in his mind.

"It's hard to describe to someone that can't read minds but…Icewing minds are spiky and blinding…almost like a maze of icicles with light being reflected off of every surface." She paused.

"That sounds horrible! Why would you like that feeling?" He asked, confused.

"That's how most Icewing minds feel. Yours is different, though…It's like walking through snow with the sun shining down onto it, making the entire landscape light up like thousands upon thousands of diamonds. It's still blinding…but infinitely more beautiful."

He wasn't going to lie to himself. He took serious satisfaction from her description. His mind was becoming foggy with the sudden rush of emotions and he found himself wanting to become closer to her. "And what about the third question?" he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

She blinked at his sudden closeness but didn't comment on it, "I was a little miffed at first, but I can't tell you what to do or who to talk to all the time. Blaze is our friend. I shouldn't stop you from becoming better friends. Besides, Winter, I trust you."

That was all he needed to hear for his mind to completely fog up.

"Mmhmm," Winter leaned down farther and took a deep whiff of her scent.

It was intoxicating.

It made him think, though. Did she taste as good as she smelled?

"Winter? What are you—" She gasped when she felt his teeth gently nip her neck before feeling his tongue slide across the same spot and hearing his pleased growl, "W-winter? Wait, please."

The Icewing obliged, albeit begrudgingly, "Is something wrong?" His voice was slightly husky, and he was gently yet forcibly pushed away.

Moon nailed him with a stern look, "Now isn't the time for this, Winter. Besides, I won't take advantage of your emotions. You did the same for me, remember." He growled in frustration and tried to close the gap between them but she wouldn't back down, "Hey! Calm down!" Her tone was understanding yet forceful.

The Icewing closed his eyes and took and deep breath as he tried to calm his raging emotions. "I'm sorry. I acted out of turn."

He opened his eyes to see that she was smiling at him, "There's nothing to be sorry for, Winter." She paused and her smile turned into a smirk, "I'll make you a deal." Winter smirked, too, when she mirrored his choice of words from a few days ago. "My hatch-day is next month—the 22nd to be exact. That's just under seven weeks away. If you're ready by then…maybe we could make it official?"

Winter walked in front of her and placed a kiss on her cheek, "That sounds good to me," he whispered. "I'm sure the others are worried about us. We should probably head back."

She nodded her agreement. Winter raised a wing, and Moon took the offered place by his side as they walked back to camp in silence. Blaze was sleeping when they arrived and Cataclysm looked like she was keeping watch. "Are you guys okay?" asked the slightly worried Skywing.

"We're okay," Moon answered back.

Winter looked up at the sky and judged that it was approaching about an hour after midnight. They had stayed up much later than he had wanted. "Are you good with keeping watch for a little while longer, Cataclysm?"

"Yeah," she answered, "I could probably stay up all night if you needed me to, but I would rather not because—" Whatever she was about to say was cut off when she let out a massive yawn before looking at Winter sheepishly.

Winter smiled at her poor attempt at hiding the truth. "Why don't you go to sleep? I'll keep watch for now and wake up Blaze in a few hours."

The Skywing didn't even protest. She merely laid down and was fast asleep within minutes. "You need rest, too, Winter." Moon tried to protest.

Winter snorted in amusement, "We all need rest. I think we can afford a late start tomorrow at this point. Go to sleep, Moon. I'll be fine." She laid down and gave him one last, long, look before resting her head on her legs and closing her eyes. _I love you._

She smiled.

Then, she too was asleep.

He placed more wood on the dying fire so it would last that much longer before looking up at the moons and the stars. It was a beautiful night tonight. Winter had always loved stargazing. It didn't really matter where he was, he just liked to see the natural beauty portrayed in the night sky.

When he was at the Sanctuary, he would go outside to stargaze whenever his work permitted him to. Funnily enough, the Ice Kingdom—the place he hated more than anywhere else—had the most beautiful nights. The crisp, clear air made the sky that much more beautiful and the auroras that danced above the rest of the world only added to the breathtaking sight.

There was another reason he liked stargazing, though. Staying up late at night, seeing the stars twinkle in the sky like the silver scales on her wings, witnessing the auroras that reminded him of the color of her eyes, and watching the moons' shining radiance reminded him of that certain Nightwing who had found her way into his icy heart…

And that she had melted it.

Even when he had tried to forget the rest of his past, she was the only one he didn't want to forget. Why?

Because he loved her.

He had never moved on from his feelings for her. They may have faded over time, but like any scar from his past, they never went away. It happened to be one of the few things that he hadn't told Flint back then because Winter wanted to remember Moon the way he did—not the way anyone else did.

He sighed happily. For all of the bad things that had happened—and mostly likely would happen—to him, he was content to just be in this single moment. As the old saying goes, 'Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift."

He smiled to himself as his gaze drifted over to Moon's sleeping form. _And it is the best gift I've ever had._

The rest of his watch proved uneventful, and he woke Blaze three hours later with instructions to wake Moon up in three hours provided that no one else was already up. She agreed despite being dead tired. He was, too, at this point. Sleep sounded wonderful right now, so he found the first clear spot he could and fell asleep as soon as his head was resting on his paws.

He woke up a couple of hours before noon to the feeling of someone shaking him awake. He opened his eyes to see Moon smiling down at him, "Good Morning, Sleepy. We've got breakfast."

Winter let out a powerful yawn that showed off all of his teeth as he got up. He smiled back at her, "Breakfast sounds good to me." Blaze and Cataclysm were also awake and they smiled at him while saying their respective 'good mornings.'

He didn't see any signs of wariness from the two of them after his little tantrum last night but he thought it best to apologize just in case. "Listen, guys, I'm sorry for what happened last night. I—"

"There's no need to apologize, Winter," Cataclysm interrupted him.

Blaze nodded in agreement, "We should have been more careful about we said."

"That's the thing, though," he said back. "You shouldn't have to."

He sighed before he felt the now familiar sensation of a wing across his back, "We all have things that are hard for us to talk about." Her expression fell, "Like my mother." He nodded somberly and placed a foreleg around her shoulders and pulled her close for comfort. A small smile made its way onto her face, "Yours is just more extensive than most. There's no need to be ashamed of that. It's our job to help you. It's YOUR job to let us."

He nodded at all of them, "Thanks, and…I'll try."

After their slightly emotional conversation and a quick breakfast, they were in the air on their way to their destination once again. They shared conversations between each other with a sense of camaraderie that only the closest of friends shared. They played games such as I Spy or trivia games while they flew to pass the time. They also raced each other a few times. Cataclysm won every single time, obviously, but it was still fun.

It all helped to distract them from the impending horror that most likely awaited them in the Sky Kingdom. For a while, Winter even forgot about all of that.

It was almost like life had returned to normal and he was merely enjoying a nice friendly flight with his group of friends. The only thing that would have made it better would be Flint's presence.

They stopped again for the night about an hour before the sun set. They were about four hours away from the capital and they had seen scattered villages and Skywing patrols here and there but they all agreed that it would be best to remain undetected for as long as possible. To that end, they found an unoccupied cave in the mountains to spend the night in. Winter was skeptical at first. After all, caves in the mountains are seldom unoccupied.

He didn't want to intrude on someone else's cave or have a bear or a group of scavengers stumble upon the group while they were asleep. That wouldn't be good either way. However, no outraged dragons or wandering animals interrupted their sleep.

Once they woke up and had their breakfast, they were once again on their way. He and Moon continued to spend time with each other both throughout the night and the next day while they were flying.

When they were a mere hour's flight away, the skies were becoming more crowded with Skywings. Not only were there constant patrols but regular citizens, merchants, and even tourists from the other tribes shared the sky with their small group. They received a few odd looks but not as many as Winter expected.

Many of the groups of tourists had dragons from multiple tribes in them—or hybrids. Whether they recognized Cataclysm or Blaze—or both, for that matter—or if they didn't know what to make of an Icewing and Nightwing flying together in the same group, he wasn't sure. As far as he had seen, there were groups with Nightwings and there were groups with Icewings but not both. In fact, there were still a few untrusting or even hostile glares when members of the two tribes got too close but not as many as he thought there should be.

As far as he was concerned, the two tribes should be at each other's throats but they were actually tolerating each other—even if barely. Don't get the wrong idea, though. Despite what it might sound like, there weren't many members of either tribe here. He had only seen around ten or so Icewings and about half that number of Nightwings in the past half hour.

As he observed the different groups, he noticed that the Icewings were welcomed just like any of the other tribes. He remembered what Blaze had told him before, though. As far as he was concerned, all Icewings were suspects of being Changewing infiltrators or agents. The Nightwings, though…

It actually saddened him to see that other tribes still looked at Nightwings with suspicion or distrust. He supposed that a few old wounds from the War of Sandwing Succession were still a bit raw. Dragons didn't like it when someone tried to manipulate them, after all.

Through all of his observations, what he expected and what he saw were two different things. _I've been away from the rest of the world for too long._

"So…" Moon started, "What's the Sky Kingdom like?"

Winter was pretty sure that all of them were surprised when Cataclysm wasn't the one who answered. "The stereotype about all Skywings being grumpy isn't true. They're actually an interesting tribe once you get to know them." He looked around at the stupefied faces of his friends before blinking stupidly, "What?"

Cataclysm was the one who answered, "Since when do you know about the Sky Kingdom, Winter? You've never been there."

"Actually, I have," he answered back. "I've been to all of the different Kingdoms on Pyrrhia and spoken with every Queen."

"When did this happen?" asked Moon. "I don't remember hearing about any of this. Did you ever go to the Sand Kingdom?"

He knew what she meant and he shook his head, "I did, but it was before you lived there." Winter's gaze grew distant as memories of his travels across the continent—both good and bad—went through his mind. "When Flint and I decided on starting the Sanctuary, we realized that we would need outside help. We didn't have the supplies, time, or dragon-power to build something that extensive. The Talons of Peace were the first to contact us once they realized what we wanted to do, and Riptide was quick to back us. They supplied us with workers and supplies, but Flint and I didn't want to stop there."

He sighed contentedly, "We didn't want to be faceless, nameless scavenger researchers. We wanted all of Pyrrhia to know who we were and what we were doing, so we went to the different tribes, met with the Queens, and told them what we were trying to do. A few of them—like Moorhen and Coral—were indifferent. Thorn and Glory were interested but couldn't afford to help us, though Glory did promise us that she would read all of our reports. Whether she did or not, I don't know and didn't ask. Ruby, though, when she heard what we were doing was both amazed and amused. She didn't understand why we found Scavengers so interesting, but she promised us help if she needed it." He smiled, "Especially when Prince Cliff seemed to find them as fascinating as I did. Regardless, after that day, Ruby became one of my favorite Queens."

"What about the Icewing Queen?" Cataclysm asked. "Moon told me that you were exiled, but why didn't you try to get help from your own tribe?"

Winter's eyes immediately darkened and he couldn't help the anger from creeping into his voice, "I don't have a tribe! And Queen Glacier died eight years ago because of Darkstalker's plague!" He felt his wing get nudged in midair, and he looked over to see Moon looking at him with a worried expression. "It's okay, Moon," he sighed. "I'm not AS angry at him anymore. I already promised both him and myself that I would move on and try to work with him."

Moon smiled and nodded before Cataclysm broke the silence, "Well, you said that Queen Ruby was one of your favorite Queens. Why? Is it just because she gave her support for your Sanctuary?"

He shook his head, "No. I can tell a lot about a dragon within the span of a single conversation. Queen Ruby genuinely cares about every single one of her subjects, and her son is the center of her world." He paused before almost mumbling his next few sentences, "I guess I can kind of relate to her, too. After all, both of our mothers only saw us as tools."

He looked up to see the others looking between each other somewhat awkwardly and he apologized for making things so depressing. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again, "Queen Ruby is a good Queen. She has my respect."

There were a few more moments of silence before he heard a shocked gasp to his left. He looked over to see Moon's bewildered expression and he smiled to himself before looking ahead. The Skywing capital was now visible on the horizon.

For those who had never seen it, the sight was breathtaking. Then again, he had seen it before and he was still amazed at the sight.

Large spires rose into the air along with Queen Ruby's massive castle. As he remembered, parts of the castle were open to the public. There was a hospital where Scarlet's arena used to be, a museum of Skywing cultural artifacts, and a memorial to the War.

As for the surrounding city, it had grown exponentially after the War. With the return of merchants and artists, flourishing trade and political alliances, as well as an influx of tourism, the Skywing capital was now the largest city on Pyrrhia. The Skywings took pride in that fact, and Winter couldn't blame them.

Since the end of the war, participation in the military was no longer mandatory, but there were many families that had made their name through service to their Queen. As such, the Skywing military was still the largest on Pyrrhia, and Queen Ruby had been putting it to good use. Patrols were sent out with caravans as escorts and leased to the other tribes if one of the other Queens had need of them. The Skywings had become renowned bandit hunters in the time after the war, and both the Sky Kingdom and the rest of Pyrrhia had experienced years of unrivalled peace and prosperity because of it.

Though with the Changewing plot, that peace was about to be shattered.

Bandit hunting and thief chasing wasn't their only job, though. Queen Ruby had her entire military become proficient in construction, and she had sent out groups of soldiers to help both her tribe and the other tribes who wanted their help in rebuilding after the devastation caused by both the Sandwing War of Succession and the Skywing Civil War. Despite knowing that her tribe was undoubtedly the most powerful and most respected tribe on Pyrrhia now, Queen Ruby hadn't let that go to her head. In fact, she had told him once that she had never actually wanted the throne, but she took it because it was in the best interest of her people. She did the best she could, though.

Winter—and the rest of Pyrrhia, for that matter—could agree that her best was enough. It was more than enough, actually. No one complained, though. Ruby was a natural leader, and was probably the most well-liked Queen out of all of them.

Ruby was good for Pyrrhia.

The Changewings knew this, so they were about to commit a single atrocity that would bring the Sky Kingdom—and consequently, Pyrrhia itself—to its knees.

They wanted to kill Prince Cliff.

Winter would kill them first.

**AN: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Starting in the next chapter, cameos of the OCs you wonderful people submitted will begin to pop up. Unless you tell me not to include your character, I'm going to assume I have a green light. Credit to the characters will be given to their respective owners, of course.**

**Secondly: To clarify, the alternate POV thing is going to be a side project. It won't have set update periods. New chapters will be out when I get inspiration for different scenes. Also, I might not be able to do certain scenes from certain perspectives without giving away plot-sensitive material. I'm also not going to write the same scene multiple times from different perspectives, either. If you have a suggestion, though, just tell me. I enjoy a good challenge.**

**In the next couple of weeks, family I don't get to see too often are coming down to visit, so I might not be able to put up a new chapter until mid-August, but I will try my hardest to get one out by the first few days of next month.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	13. Chapter 12

Dragons Change

**AN: This has come out in a much more timely manner, hasn't it? As an apology for making you guys wait for so long last chapter, and then the fact that I didn't get many good reviews about last chapter made me feel bad, so I got this one done as fast as I could.**

**I won't take the last chapter down, though. Despite its apparent "badness", there is one, tiny, inconsequential detail that I put in that chapter that will end up leading to the mother of all plot points. You'd never even think of looking at it twice, either. That's how tiny it is. And no, I'm not telling you what it is.**

**Later today, hopefully, I'm also going to publish my first alternate POV scene, so be on the lookout for that. It'll be called 'Dragons Change-Bonus Scenes'**

**Original title, I know, but I'm sticking with it. **

**I have a challenge for you guys, though. We'll see how much you want to read the next chapter. At the time of me typing this, this story has 35 favorites. If I get 0-5 favorites by Sunday night, the next bonus scene will come out on Monday. If I get 6-14 by Sunday night, chapter 13 of this story will be out on Monday. If I get 15+, both of them will come out on Monday. This may seem kind of cheap, but I want people to be involved.**

**On a sidenote, a lot of people were asking about the poll for who Winter ends up with. Yes, it is still active. As of now, Blaze has 5 votes, Moon has 9, 2 people are undecided, and Aurora has 0. (Yes, she's an option.) If you want your voice to be heard, the best thing to do is speak!**

**WARNING: There's an implied reference to rape in this chapter. No offense meant.**

**Disclaimer time: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint and Aurora belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. For cameos in this chapter, Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to Frostbite15. Altitude belongs to a guest reviewer that I don't know the name of, but she's not mine. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 12:

Winter didn't think it was a good idea to announce their presence by going through the front gates, but if they wanted to make an appointment with Queen Ruby, she had to know they were in the city. So without another option, they landed among the throng of dragons outside the city gates and waited patiently as the steadily moving crowd made its way forward.

Ruby had made it mandatory for all dragons to enter the city at one of its three main gates because no one was allowed to fly in the city's airspace. There were just too many dragons for them to be flying around every which way. It was purely a safety precaution.

Then again, since everyone was supposed to go through the gates, guards could keep an eye on who entered and exited, and they could stop or question anyone they deemed suspicious. So while the law was put in place because of safety concerns, it had the added bonus of increasing security, as well.

Ruby was clever like that.

They made it through the gates after Moon suggested that it might be a good idea to split up and enter at separate times. It was a good idea, actually. If the Changewings were looking for a group of dragons from different tribes, they would be less inclined at seeing single dragons from the different tribes coming through the gates. Hopefully, none of them would be recognized going in. There was no way around that, though, so Winter could only hope to pass through without suspicion.

The guards didn't even look twice when he entered the city, and he hoped that the others had the same luck as him. They had agreed beforehand to meet in the market near the central fountain. Cataclysm had given all of them general directions to the rendezvous point, and Winter had indeed found the market itself. However, Cataclysm forgot to mention how massive the markets actually were.

The crowds didn't help, either. Have you ever heard the phrase 'standing room only'? That's what it was like. There were hundreds of dragons here! Whether picking up groceries, putting in orders at the crafts-dragons, or simply perusing, dragons were everywhere doing everything imaginable. Some were simply socializing, and he had to ask himself how any sane dragon could stand to just stand and talk in such a crowded place.

After thirty minutes of trying to pick his way through the crowd, he still hadn't found the fountain he was looking for. He absolutely loathed the idea of asking for directions, but he needed to put his pride aside for the moment and just do it. He looked around for someone who didn't look too busy when his eyes landed on a female Skywing sitting alone at a nearby café table.

She was looking around at the different dragons passing by, and her eyes wouldn't stay in one place for more than a few seconds before moving on. She seemed jumpy, and Winter was somewhat concerned by this fact. Was she in some kind of trouble? He didn't know, and he rather doubted that she would tell him, but it wouldn't feel right to just move along without trying.

The worst thing to do in a moment like this was to make her feel more uncomfortable than necessary, so when she looked over at him when he approached her, he stopped and smiled at her, "Hello." She didn't say anything, so he tried again. "My name is Winter. Is it okay if I ask you a question?"

She looked at him almost as if he was setting some sort of trap for her, but after a few minutes, she nodded ever so slightly. He moved forward slowly and sat on the other side of the table for two reasons. First, he wanted her to see him as friendly. Second, dragons were beginning to yell at him for standing in the way.

"Do you know where I can find the big fountain here in the markets?" She nodded before looking around and pointing down a side street.

"You can go down that street and take a left at the next intersection. Follow the main road, and you'll see it in a few minutes." Winter almost had to strain his ears to hear her since she spoke so quietly.

He smiled at her when she finished before nodding, "Thank you…"

He trailed off as he waited for her to supply him with her name. She finally came to that conclusion after he didn't leave after the first thirty seconds. "Altitude," she answered.

"Well, then, thank you, Altitude. I'm sure my friends are worried about me by now, so I should go find them. It was nice to meet you." She only nodded at him, but she seemed to deflate when he mentioned his friends. He turned around as he was about to leave but hesitated and turned back around to say one more thing in a gentle voice, "You seem kind of nervous about something, so let me give you some advice that someone once told me: The only sure way to fail at something is to not try it."

A small smile crept onto her face after a second before she looked up at him, "Thank you, Winter. That helps more than you know." She got up and walked away in the opposite direction, and he couldn't help seeing the burn mark on the tip of her left wing. He wondered where she had gotten that from or if it was part of her problem. He would probably never know either way but at least he helped somebody with their problem.

He began walking in the direction that Altitude told him to go. It took much longer than what she said because of the huge crowd of dragons, but within fifteen or so minutes, he was able to see the fountain. He could also see a Nightwing, Skywing, and Sandwing looking around in concern for something…or someone.

Three guesses on who they were.

While it was obvious that they were all worried about him, it seemed like Moon was more worried than the other two. He understood completely, of course. She didn't want to lose him so soon after they agreed to be in a relationship together. Then again, she probably didn't want to lose him at all.

Once he entered the plaza, though. He saw her posture relax, and she looked directly at him. It seemed that even in a massive plaza with crowds of dragons, she could still find his mind through the cacophony of voices that were no doubt going through her mind.

That was kind of hot.

He saw Moon turn to the others for a minute before all three of them looked in his direction. She had told the others, apparently, and they were waving him over. He smiled at them as he slowly yet steadily made his way through the crowd. The crowds her were a little less compared to where he spoke with Altitude, and the group found a comfortable position next to the massive fountain.

He took a moment to observe said fountain as he made his way over. He saw this fountain while it was still under construction, but he never saw the finish product. It was a sculpture of seven dragons sitting around a table with smiles on their faces as they looked between each other. Some were females. Some were males. All of them, though, belonged to a separate tribe. Their tails were lying on the ground and dipped down over the edge of the pedestal they sat on, and the water flowed through the tips into the basin below.

He noticed something interesting about the fountain, though. It seemed that the Nightwing—who happened to be a female—and the Icewing—who happened to be a male—were sitting next to each other. They didn't face each other, but their muscles were relaxed to indicate that they were comfortable in each other's presence.

He wondered if Ruby had asked for that or if the sculptors weren't paying attention to where each dragon was placed. He betted on the former, though. A lot of dragons on Pyrrhia were tired of conflict now, and the last thing they wanted was for the Icewings and Nightwings to resume their multi-millennial old fight. This seemed to be a clear message that ALL dragons of Pyrrhia could get along.

More than that, though…they could be friends.

These dragons weren't meant to resemble anyone in particular, but he couldn't help seeing both him and Moon in their faces. After millennia of fighting and grudges between their two tribes, Moon and he were the first to bridge that gap. The best part was, despite the odd looks he received when he sat next to Moon, he didn't care. He was where he wanted to be, and he wasn't ashamed of that fact.

"Are you okay, Winter? What took you so long?" Cataclysm asked him.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he replied. "I just got lost on my way over here, and I had to ask for directions."

"I though you said that you had been here before?" Blaze asked, somewhat confused.

"I have been here before. It was six years ago, though, and I was only here for two days," he pointed out. His gaze drifted over to the massive castle in the distance. Then again, everything was massive in this city. The Skywings liked to build big, it seemed.

"Has it changed much since last time?" Moon asked him.

He nodded. "It has in some ways. There weren't this many dragons here last time, for one. The tribes were still kind of wary of each other. The war had only ended a few years prior, and everyone was afraid of accidentally starting another one." His gaze grew distant as the memory of his previous visit grew clearer until he could see flashes of the past. "Flint came with me last time," he said as a ghost of the mentioned Mudwing and himself were walking through this same plaza, and Flint was looking at the architecture in wonder.

Winter smiled to himself as the vision disappeared, "He was in awe at the size of this place. He said that he felt small…humbled almost." He paused for a minute and his smile fell. "He was so scared of coming here. He didn't want to, but he did anyways. He came because I had asked him to. I think it was worth it in the end, though."

_The two friends were flying through Skywing territory on their way to the capital. Winter was mostly relaxed. He had done this a few times now, so he knew what to expect. Besides, he was raised as a prince, so he knew how to interact with royalty._

_ Flint, on the other claw, was a nervous wreck. They had been to the Rainforest Kingdom, Mud Kingdom, and Sand Kingdom so far without any problems. Now though…_

_ "Tell me again why I have to come, too?" Flint asked nervously._

_ Winter looked over at his best friend and sighed. "Because Queen Ruby doesn't allow dragonets to ask for audiences unless they have an adult escort. And, as we both know, my eighth hatch-day is in two months, so you have to be there with me for the presentation. Besides, Flint, you're my partner." He smiled at the Mudwing, "It wouldn't feel right without you there."_

_ Flint smiled back nervously before chuckling even more nervously. Winter sighed at his friend's obvious tenseness. "Why are you so worried anyway? You didn't have any problems meeting Glory, Moorhen, or Thorn with me."_

_ "None of them were Skywings," was his immediate reply._

_ Winter just raised his eye ridge in confusion. "What does that have to do with it? Queen Ruby is well-liked all across Pyrrhia."_

_ Flint sighed, "Queen Ruby isn't the problem. I have the utmost respect for her. It's just…" He trailed off and looked away. After he didn't answer for several minutes, Winter had officially grown worried._

_ The Mudwing became tense all of a sudden when his gaze had returned forward. Winter looked forward to see what had his friend so nervous and saw the first glimpses of the Skywing capital on the horizon. If Winter wasn't worried before, he was now. "Flint?" he asked gently. The Mudwing glanced over in his direction. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" Flint sighed, but he still didn't answer. "We don't have to go if you don't want to," Winter said after a moment._

_ Winter saw the Mudwing lower his head in shame before gliding down to the ground. Winter, curious—and worried—to see what he was doing, decided to follow. He landed next to Flint on the rock ledge that he had found. His posture was resigned, but he looked up when Winter approached. When he spoke, his voice was equal parts ashamed and regretful, "I'm scared, Winter."_

_ That single confession made Winter freeze and blink in confusion as he tried to make sure that he had heard right, "Scared?" Flint nodded. "Why?" Winter sat down and waited for Flint's answer._

_ "During the war," he began, "Some of the biggest and bloodiest battles of the War took place between the Mudwings and Skywings. The Mudwings didn't have as many soldiers, but each warrior was the equivalent of more than one Skywing. It was a heated rivalry, and we lived right next to each other. Hundreds—thousands even—died every battle between us."_

_ Winter began to understand, but he had to ask something first. "Were you…there?"_

_ Flint nodded solemnly, "I took part in two such battles before…you know…"_ Before your sisters were murdered by my—by the Icewings, you mean,_ he thought but didn't say out loud. "I saw the brutality—on both sides. I doubt two years is enough for the Skywings and Mudwings to forgive and forget."_

_ "And you think they might try to arrest you?" Winter asked._

_ Flint nodded, "Or worse."_

_ Winter placed a paw on Flint's shoulder and pinned him with a serious look when the Mudwing turned to regard him. "I won't let them."_

_ That single sentence was enough for Flint to regain his composure, and he smiled over at the Icewing before wrapping him a hug. Winter rolled his eyes in exasperation but ended up returning the hug, regardless. _Mudwings are so sappy,_ he thought, _but I wouldn't have him any other way._ "Hey, Flint?"_

_ The Mudwing broke first and looked down, "Yeah?"_

_ "Don't ever change," he finished. Flint smirked before both of them heard something close by. They looked over to where the sound had originated and saw a scavenger staring at them with wide eyes. "What do you think about having a live scavenger for our presentation?"_

_ Flint looked over at him before nodding._

_ It took almost ten minutes, but they were finally able to coax the scavenger from the hiding spot it had darted to once it realized it had been caught. It was a male, by Winter's reckoning. It seemed to be a juvenile, so Winter had promised himself that he would bring the scavenger back to this area when they were done. It was likely that he had a family, and Winter didn't want to cause the little creatures any more grief than was possible. _

_ He and Flint cobbled together a rudimentary cage to transport their new friend in, and they were on their way to their meeting with Queen Ruby. Surprisingly, the scavenger was relatively quiet. Whether it was too afraid to do anything or if it was actually the opposite, he didn't know. There had been a handful of scavengers that he had seen that had been merely cautious, instead of downright afraid, of him. Some, he had even considered friendly._

_ Those were few and far between, but it was a nice change of pace when he found one._

_Regardless, since the scavenger ran when he was seen, Winter wasn't going to take a chance on the second option—hence the cage that Flint was now carrying._

_They made it to the city, through the gates, and into the palace without any problems aside from the occasional stare at the scavenger's cage and Flint's constant need to gawk at the massive buildings. The guards had them halt outside the throne room doors while they searched them for any hidden weapons while also confirming their identities before asking them to wait while the current meeting was over._

_They waited outside the throne room for what seemed like an hour before the doors finally opened to reveal a small group of Skywings decorated with the standard General attire. They must have been in the middle of a military meeting with the Queen. When the four generals had turned the corner at the end of the hall, the guards at the door motioned for the two of them to enter._

_Ruby was sitting on her throne looking every bit as regal as the Queen she was, but Winter could see the slightest hint of exhaustion around her eyes. It was beginning to get late in the day, and the constant meetings and delegations and other royal stuff must have taken its toll on her. Winter could relate. It was hard being a royal._

_The two of them approached the throne and Winter bowed his head in a sign of respect. He looked up to see Ruby looking at him and Flint curiously. One of the guards next to the throne took this as his cue to announce them to the Queen, "Now presenting Flint of the Mudwings and Winter the Icewing!"_

Winter the Icewing,_ he cringed internally. _I guess it's official now. I'm not even considered as a member of the Icewing tribe by the other tribes, either. _"Thank you, Captain." She said without breaking her gaze from them. "All dragons are, of course, welcome to an audience with me, but I am curious. Why would an Icewing and Mudwing wish to speak with me?" Her gaze shifted to the cage, "And why do you have a scavenger?"_

Well…this is it,_ Winter thought to himself. "Flint and I plan on doing something that no dragons has ever done before. We have the idea of building a Sanctuary for dragons of all tribes to conduct research on one of Pyrrhia's most misunderstood creatures: scavengers!"_

_He gestured at the cage as he heard amused snorts coming from the guards. He glared at them before Queen Ruby cut in, "What is it that you think is misunderstood about these animals?" _

_He looked over to see that she was trying to hold back an amused smile. She wasn't taking them seriously. He sighed, "First and foremost, I believe that scavengers are much more than mere animals. I believe that they are smarter than we give them credit for—even to the level of dragon intelligence."_

_The guards actually laughed at this, but Ruby lost all amusement at this sudden turn of events, "That is enough! Whether or not all of you believe Winter, you will all remain professional or I will ask you to leave! Am I understood?"_

"_Yes, Your Majesty," they all mumbled. They obliged with her wishes, though, and remained at attention for the rest of the meeting._

_She nodded sharply before looking back at Winter. "Explain," she ordered._

_Winter obliged. For the next twenty minutes, he and Flint explained everything that they had learned in the short time they had been studying scavengers. They used their new friend to demonstrate a few things. Finally, they told her their goal of having all tribes in Pyrrhia recognize that scavengers should be a protected race._

_Ruby was quiet for several minutes afterward while she observed the scavenger that was sitting on top of Flint's head. After the Mudwing had fed the little creature, it lost all reservations about him. "I suppose you want my help in building this Sanctuary?" she finally asked._

"_While your help would be appreciated, it is not needed. The Talons of Peace have promised us all of the support we need." He saw that she had raised a brow in confusion._

"_If you don't need my help, why are you here?"_

"_As we said, we want all of the tribes to know about this," Flint replied._

_Ruby looked like she was about to ask something else, but a shout interrupted her and she looked over to the door they lead to the west wing, "MOOOOOM!"_

_A small Skywing came bounding into the room followed by another older, grumpy-looking Skywing. "Cliff, Sweetheart, what did I tell you about interrupting mommy during her meetings?"_

_The small Skywing—now identified as Prince Cliff—slid to a stop at the base of the raised dais and blinked twice, "To not to…" he said innocently. "But it's an emergency!"_

_Ruby looked over to the older Skywing with a hidden mirth, "Is Falcon boring you again?"_

_Cliff flopped down onto his belly with his limbs splayed out like a starfish. "Yeah," the little Skywing said before he finally realized that there were other dragons in the room. When his eyes landed on Winter, they got so large that he was surprised that Cliff's eyes didn't pop out of their sockets, "WOAH! An ICEWING!" He got up and jumped around Winter with an excited energy while yelling, "Hey, mom! There's an Icewing here! Did you see him!? Did you see him!?"_

_Ruby seemed almost exasperated by her son's antics, but she still had a small smile on her face, "Yes, sweetie, I saw the Icewing. His name is Winter." She looked up at said Icewing, "It's his first time seeing an Icewing if you couldn't tell."_

_Winter just continued to watch the little dragonet carefully. He had never been great with young dragons. It was just another thing that life in the Icewing royal family didn't prepare him for._

_Winter thought this scene couldn't get any more ridiculous when all of a sudden he heard someone yell, "HOLY SHIT! Is that a scavenger!?" _

_Winter wasn't ashamed to admit he broke out in hysterics when he realized that the three-year-old standing in front of him had been the one to yell that. By the look of pure and utter astonishment on her face, Ruby had apparently never heard her son use THAT particular phrase before. "Cliff!" she barked. The little dragon turned around with a completely innocent face. "Where did you learn that word!?"_

_He blinked in confusion, "Some of the guards say it when I do something I'm not supposed to." If looks could kill, the guards in the room would be dead, buried, and forgotten by the death glare she was giving all of them._

_Winter and Flint decided to quietly excuse themselves once Queen Ruby starting chewing all of them out. It was funny, but it wasn't something he wanted to get caught in the middle of. A servant was waiting for them outside and asked the two of them to follow her. Two rooms in the guest wing were provided for them, and Ruby personally apologized to both of them the next morning when they woke. _

_Since Cliff had obviously taken an interest in the scavenger, Ruby promised them help if they ever needed it. Winter had agreed, and the two friends left a few hours after midday to give themselves time to see a few of the sights._

_Their next stop after dropping off and freeing the scavenger where they had found him was the Sea Kingdom to meet with Queen Coral. After that, they would be headed back to the no-dragon's land between the Ice and Sand Kingdoms. Queen Thorn technically owned that land but no Sandwings lived that far north, and no Icewings were dumb enough to try to settle on land that wasn't theirs. Thorn had been their first stop, and she had agreed to let them build their Sanctuary in that area but that was all she could promise. The Sandwings didn't have the resources or numbers anymore to undertake such a large project._

In the four years that the Sanctuary had been operational, Winter had only left three times. He had gone to the Mud Kingdom twice with Flint. The third time was a quick delivery to the Sky Kingdom. He had a letter addressed to Queen Ruby stating that the Sanctuary was done, but he came across a Skywing patrol about an hour before he crossed the border and left the letter with them and gave them instructions to give it to the Queen at their earliest convenience.

Looking back, Winter really wished he had left more often to visit the other Kingdoms. He could have spent more time with Glory and Deathbringer before everything went to hell. Maybe he could have saved Thorn and Qibli from being taken by Changewings if he had made regular visits to the Sand Kingdom. Maybe—

"You shouldn't beat yourself up over all of that," Moon whispered to him to break him out of his thoughts. "You couldn't have known nor could you have done anything if you did. You're just one dragon. You can't change the past, Winter…but you CAN change the future."

"You're right," he acknowledged. "Do you want to check out the rest of the markets?" he asked the other three.

They just looked at him in confusion, "Umm…S-Shouldn't we go have an audience with the Queen?" Cataclysm asked. "I mean, isn't time of the essence?"

Winter shook his head before getting up and motioning them to follow him. It would be less suspicious to have this conversation on the move, "Not if we don't know who or what we're looking for. Today we're tourists. Explore the markets—buy something if you want to—but keep an eye out for anything suspicious while you do so." He whispered with a smile on his face. To anyone observing, it would look like he was talking about gossip or some other inconsequential topic.

The others still looked slightly uncertain, so Winter looked over at Blaze, "Why don't you take Cataclysm and go check out the fashion shops? I know you want to." She didn't need anymore persuasion than that because she immediately grabbed the Skywing and almost dragged her into the nearest jewelry store. Winter chuckled at her antics before turning to Moon, "You can go with them if you want."

Moon just looked at him like he was stupid before she made it VERY clear that she wasn't about to do that, "Are you crazy!?" she whisper-yelled at him. "I am not going to leave you alone in potentially dangerous territory!"

A smirk played at Winter's lips, "Then I guess it's just you and me in Pyrrhia's largest city to explore wherever and whatever we want."

She snorted in amusement, "You make it sound like we're on a date or something."

"Well, you can always say no," he shot back playfully.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and tried to sound genuinely confused, "What would be the fun in that?" She couldn't stop the smile from tugging at her lips when she turned to look at him fully.

Winter smiled back, "It's a date, then. Where do you want to go first?"

"I think we could maybe just wing it." Winter couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation at the obvious pun.

They spent a few minutes looking at the stalls on the street that they were currently on. Neither of them really had much money to their names, but Queen Glory had been generous enough to give them some money in case they needed it. They had split the amount between the eight of them before they left the rainforest. His and Moon's share was in the satchel he had around his neck. Blaze and Cataclysm were each carrying their own.

They got a few fish-kabobs when they got hungry but didn't find anything else that would warrant spending their limited amount of money. They had recently stumbled upon a rather large jewelry store near the staircase that lead to the upper terrace where the palace was. Coincidentally, Blaze and Cataclysm happened to be inside, too, when they had gone in.

Moon had gone over to speak with their friends while Winter explored the store. His eye caught on a certain piece and he stopped to study it. It was a simple piece really, a silver necklace with an emerald embedded in the center, but Winter couldn't help but think it would look nice on Moon. He looked around and saw that Moon was still talking with Blaze and Cataclysm, so he waved the storekeeper over.

The dragon in question was a young, female Seawing. While it was strange for Winter to see that a non-Skywing owned such a large shop in the Skywing capital, it made certain sense. He had seen the quality of Seawing jewelry before. They almost rivaled the quality of Icewing-made jewelry…

Almost.

It was a good second, though. Besides, it was probable that the only place to get Icewing jewelry was in the Ice Kingdom, and he wasn't exactly welcome there anymore. He hadn't seen any Icewing merchants so far today, and he and Moon had been exploring for almost four hours now.

The Seawing was a light blue color with a slightly darker underbelly and her feet were the same color as her underbelly and chest. She was attractive in her own way with a charming smile to match. "Hello, there. Can I help you with something?" Her tone was friendly and Winter nodded to her question.

"How much for this piece here?" he asked, pointing the necklace he had seen earlier.

She studied it for a few seconds before recognition flashed across her face, "This was one of my first pieces!" she said excitedly. "It's been hanging there for years, but nobody's ever been interested in it. Probably too plain for them, but whatever." She smiled at him, "You know what…Since you like it—and you're the first dragon in like three years to ask about it—I'll give it to you for ten gold pieces."

Winter's eyes flew open wide in shock. It wasn't because the price was high. On the contrary, ten gold was almost dirt cheap for something like this. Winter had just under two hundred gold in his pouch. "I can't give you just ten gold for this, I'd feel like I was robbing you."

Her smile grew slightly wider, and she raised her eye ridge, "Most dragons would take that offer and roll with it."

"Well, I'm not most dragons," he said back to her.

"So it seems. What's your name?"

He thought for a few seconds on whether or not to tell her his real name or if he should give her a fake one, but ultimately, he felt it would be rude to repay her kindness with a lie. "Winter," he told her after a moment.

"Well Winter, I'm River, and you are officially my favorite customer." She picked up the necklace and proceeded to hand it over to him, "Here. It wouldn't feel right charging someone as honest as you are."

"I can't take this, River. Let me give you fifty. It's the lowest I'll go." He took out his pouch of money and began counting it, but the Seawing put a claw on his to get him to stop.

"OR," she began, "You can take this and maybe—I don't know—buy me dinner tonight if you feel so bad about this?"

Winter smiled at her genuinely before sighing, "Listen, River, you seem like a very nice dragon, but…" he looked over to where the others were oohing and ahhing over different—expensive-looking—pieces of jewelry, "I'm already spoken for."

She followed his gaze, and her posture seemed to deflate a bit, as did her smile, but she seemed to understand, "That's okay. It was worth a shot anyway. Who's the lucky female? The Sandwing or the Skywing?"

Winter's smile fell slightly. _It seems that the idea of a Nightwing and an Icewing being together is still…fantastical._ He gazed at River out of the corner of his eye to judge her reaction when he answered, "The Nightwing."

Her head snapped to look at him fully, and her eyes were wide open in shock as she looked at him before she shook her head to clear her thoughts, "Apologies, but I just didn't expect that. Is that…wise, though?" At his disapproving look, she hastily explained, "I-I meant no disrespect, of course. It's just that…" She leaned in and whispered, "Have you heard the legend of the Darkstalker?"

Winter actually laughed at that. River looked at him like he had lost his mind, and his friends were looking at him kind of confused as well, but he finally answered her, "Yes, I am very much aware of who Darkstalker was." He decided to leave out the part where he personally knew the Icewing-Nightwing hybrid that was widely considered to be the harbinger of death as well as the part that he was there during Darkstalker's first resurrection. His smile fell and he looked at River with a serious expression, "I also know the truth behind the legends. He was never meant to be the villain in the story." His gaze shifted to Moon as her words from a few days ago echoed in his mind, "He was simply…misunderstood."

"Huh," she looked at him curiously, "I never thought I would hear an Icewing talk about the Darkstalker like that, but I won't argue with you. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Regardless, I wish you and her the best of luck."

Winter had pretty much forgotten all about the necklace since that conversation had left a somewhat sour taste in his mouth—figuratively speaking, of course. He bid his farewells to the Seawing shopkeeper and made his way over to where the three females were discussing which one of the three pieces Blaze was holding would look best on her. He didn't want to cut them short so he merely informed Moon that he would wait outside for her until she was ready to go.

He walked outside immediately afterwards, but he didn't have to wait long until Moon came out to join him. At his curious look, she responded, "I didn't want to keep you waiting. This is supposed to be a date, after all. Besides, they said they were almost done anyways, and it's starting to get late. We should find somewhere to stay for the night."

Winter nodded, "I suppose you're right. I have no idea where an inn would be, however, so I think I'll just wait for Cataclysm to show us where to go."

"Yeah," she agreed, "But who said we have to stay here? The crowds have thinned out considerably. As long as we stay close, they'll be able to see us, so let's go look around some more.

Winter looked around the street for a possible destination when he saw Aurora sitting across the street with an EXTREMELY serious expression on her face. She was gone just as suddenly as she appeared, and he couldn't help mumbling to himself, "I have a bad feeling about this."

They began walking down the street as the sun began going down. As the minutes ticked by, fewer and fewer dragons were on the street until it was just them. Seeing the expression on Aurora's face combined with the fact that there were absolutely NO dragons left on the street had Winter on edge. His muscles were tensed and his ears were straining to pick up any sign of a sneak attack that could happen at any moment.

Apparently, Moon didn't share his sense of unease, but she could feel his, and when he stopped suddenly and his gaze snapped to a nearby shadowy alley where he could have sworn he saw someone standing, he could tell that she was getting worried.

As the sun crept lower into the sky, she whispered to him, "What's wrong?"

He kept scanning the street as he whispered back, "We're being watched." He paused when he saw the faintest hint of movement, "We're leaving. Now." He put his wing over Moon as he back tracked to where he remember leaving Blaze and Cataclysm. "If anything happens, Moon, you start flying and you don't look back, do you understand?" She nodded.

He knew she could feel his fear, and he felt bad for scaring her like this, but someone or something was following them, and he was scared—not for his sake, though. He was scared for Moon.

They turned the corner that would lead them to the store, but Winter immediately stopped and tightened his hold on Moon when he saw a single Skywing female standing in the middle of the street. Her eyes seemed to glow an unsettling green in the steadily lessening light. He couldn't make out many details from this distance, but her eyes spoke all kinds of maliciousness.

He and Moon began to turn around when another Skywing, this one male, walked into their line of sight. He had the same unsettling, glowing green eyes, but his right eye was shut. Since he was much closer than the female, Winter could make out a nasty scar that ran across his face from the middle muzzle, across his lips to where a few teeth could be seen through the gap, and over his right eye and eye ridge.

"Well, well, well," the male drawled. "Look who it is. Winter. Son of Narwhal. Prince of the Icewings…Oh! But I'm forgetting you don't have a tribe…and so you're not a prince…which makes you…nobody really." This Skywing seemed to take pleasure at his insult.

Winter bared his teeth and growled threateningly in response. The male smirked and made a motion with his wing. All of a sudden six more Skywings had surrounded them. He tried to keep up a brave front, but Winter knew he couldn't fight off eight Skywings while also protecting Moon.

The unidentified male was looking Moon up and down with an obvious smirk. "I don't like the way he's looking at you," he whispered to Moon.

"I don't like the things he's thinking about me, either," she whispered back, slightly shakily. Winter held her tighter in response.

"If you couldn't tell, Winter, you are sorely outnumbered. Give up the Nightwing, and we'll let you leave alive…mostly." Winter could feel Moon shaking—could feel her silent tears sliding down his leg. She was beyond terrified, and he had an idea on what this Skywing wanted to do to her.

"That's NOT going to happen!"

The Skywing narrowed his eye dangerously, and Winter was preparing his frost breath while silently praying to Aurora for some divine intervention when he heard someone shout out, "What's going on here!?"

_Thank you…Thank you. Thank you. Thankyou._ He turned in the direction the familiar voice had come from and saw Cataclysm strolling through the hostile Skywings while glaring at the apparent leader of the group.

Said leader happened to do a double take when he saw who it was, "YOU!? You're supposed to be dead!"

Cataclysm looked over herself, confused, before replying, "Am I not?"

Winter was grateful for the backup, but he didn't see Blaze nearby. He could only hope that Cataclysm had told her to go get the city guard. Why there weren't guards here in the first place, Winter had no idea, but he had more important things to worry about right now. The leader sneered before motioning for the original female to join him. Cataclysm and this female glared at each other before the leader continued, "You'll wish you'd stayed dead."

There seemed to be an unspoken command in that sentence as the other six Skywings began closing in. He was about to tell Moon to start flying when one of them was tackled from above. A scream of agony was heard as everyone froze to see what had just happened when another new Skywing stood up from the fresh corpse. Blaze landed not too long afterwards in a less…dramatic way.

Their earlier advantage was now almost gone. Instead of eight against two, it was now seven against five. The Skywings may be able to breath fire, but Winter had frost breath, Cataclysm had wicked martial skills, and Blaze had her deadly tail barb.

Their leader seemed to realize this, too, because he began to back up, "You better watch yourself, Winter. I'll be coming for you…and that little Nightwing, too." Then, without any warning, he took off into the sky.

The other six followed suit.

Winter let out a breath while pulling Moon into a full embrace, "It's okay. It's over. They're gone." Her continuing sobs were his only answer. He turned his gaze to their new ally. "Thank you," he mouthed.

The young Skywing—a male, Winter realized—nodded before motioning them to follow, which they did, "Come on. Hellstorm doesn't make idle threats. He's probably going for reinforcements so we shouldn't stay here. I'll have a room set up for you in my mother's castle. You'll be safe there."

_Mother's castle? Wait a minute…_ "Prince Cliff?" Winter asked. The Skywing prince only nodded as he continued to lead the way. Winter took the time to observe the young prince. It didn't look like he was wearing anything that could be enchanted, so it was a good possibility that he was still him for the time being.

Moon had finally calmed down enough to where constant sobs weren't racking her body, but she wouldn't leave her spot underneath his wing. He didn't blame her. If he had been in her position, he probably would have been terrified, too. There weren't many crimes as unforgivable as…that, in Winter's opinion.

Cataclysm and Blaze were both silent as they continued on their way. Cliff only stopped once to tell a guard what had happened to their group and ordered him to double the watch tonight. The guard's answer was a crisp salute before he took off—most likely to the barracks to inform his commander.

They followed Cliff into the palace's guest wing where he showed them their rooms. They had been given two rooms right next to each other. Guards were patrolling the hallways for intruders, so Winter had to agree with Cliff's earlier assessment. They would be safe here.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I've been trying to track down Hellstorm and his sister Ashkey for months now. So far, they've always been one step ahead of me, but I'll catch them one day. You have my word on that." Cliff placed his fist over his heart in a salute to show just how serious he was before asking, "Is there anything else you four might need."

Winter looked around at his friends before a thought popped into his head. _Well, since he was so generous to offer._ "We would like an audience with Queen Ruby, if at all possible."

Cliff didn't so much as bat an eye at the request, "I'll pass the word on. A messenger will come by tomorrow morning to inform you when your audience will be." He gave them one last salute before walking away.

By some unspoken understanding between the four of them, Cataclysm and Blaze entered the right-side room while Winter and Moon would share the left-side room. For a guest room, it was rather well decorated. Expensive curtains hung over the windows and the door that lead to the outside balcony. If Winter was correct, they were on the fourth floor's eastern side, so they would have a spectacular view of the sunrise.

A large cushion was tucked against the far corner to be used as the bed while a desk with stationery, a fully stocked bookshelf, a chest to keep belongings, a mirror, and a small table with a bouquet of flowers in the center took up the remainder of the room. Tapestries depicting Skywing legends or emblems hung on the wall to finish off the space. It was a nice place, actually. _Nicer even than my room in the Icewing Palace,_ he mentally grumbled.

He walked over to the chest while Moon made herself comfortable on the large cushion. She was still quiet because of what happened. _It'll probably take time for her to recover from that scare, but in case you're listening, Moon. I'll be here to help you through it. _He turned around as he placed the satchel that was around his neck into the chest to see a ghost of a smile on her face.

A confused look came immediately after as she got up and walked over to where he was, "Winter? What's that?" She pointed to a slender, silver chain that was hanging over the edge of the satchel. He cocked his head in confusion. _I don't remember anything like that being in that bag._ He gently grabbed the thing and gazed at it with complete shock.

It was the necklace from earlier.

"It's uhh…It's for you," he stammered out. He may not have bought the thing, but if it was here, that meant River had snuck it into his bag after he had made it clear he wouldn't accept it as a gift.

Moon blinked in shock, "F—For me?" He simply nodded. He was just as dumbstruck as she was. All of a sudden he felt her throw her arms around him in a hug that he returned after regaining his senses. "It's beautiful!" She broke off the hug and stood in front of the mirror as she tried to work the clasp in order to fit it around her neck.

Winter moved in behind her and took the chain from her as she observed him in the mirror. In no time at all, he was able to fit the locks together, and he looked up to observe her reflection in the mirror as well.

The silver pendant matched the silver teardrops around her eyes perfectly, and the emerald only made her eyes appear all the more vibrant. She was the picture of perfection. In his eyes, no other creature in the world could compete with her. "What do you think, Winter?"

She was so wrapped up in her excitement that she apparently hadn't heard his thoughts mere moments ago. He leaned down to nuzzle the side of her face as he whispered, "I think you're the most beautiful dragoness on Pyrrhia."

He could feel her slight shiver at his words—then again, it could have been from the chill of his scales, too—before gently kissing her cheek, "We should get some sleep." He turned away from her and walked towards the cushion before stopping. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, here. He looked back at Moon to gauge her reaction while she put a wing over him and began to guide him forward. _I guess that answers that question._

"You bet it does," she smirked. "You better start getting used to it, too."

A moment of silence fell between them once they settled themselves on the cushion. Winter placed a wing across her back before he blew out the candle that was still lit.

He could feel more than see her mood. She must still be a bit upset about what happened outside. "Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head before burying it in his shoulder. He heard her breathing become more ragged. _I guess it wasn't such a good idea to remind her. _"I won't let anything happen to you, Moon. I'll protect you with my life if—"

"NO!" She yelled. Her head had shot up and she was looking at him furiously while he just looked at her confused and bewildered. "You will NOT die for me, do you understand!?" He nodded, and her expression softened a bit. "Good. I don't want to lose you, too," she mumbled so quietly that Winter barely heard her.

He used a claw to gently move her gaze, which had fallen to the pillow, back to his, "You won't." His voice remained resolute, to his slight surprise, but the message was clear.

He wouldn't let anyone hurt her or tear the two of them apart ever again.

**AN: I hope everyone liked it. I had fun writing it, anyways.**

**I'll be keeping a close eye on those favorites, too.**

**A quick little thing here: I need four Skywing names (one has to be for a male) preferably by Friday. To clarify, these aren't OCs. I'm just not that good at coming up with names on the fly.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	14. Chapter 13

**AN: So...Regarding the unpleasant business from the last few days, I would like to apologize for any feelings of resentment I may have caused. I'm going to be the bigger man and admit to my mistakes. Yes, I probably overreacted, but we all have our own faults. Mine, at times, is my temper. Rest assured that I won't repeat that mistake, and I am more than willing to forget all of this unsavory business if all of you are. I felt like I needed to say this because I didn't want any lingering tension in the air.**

**In other news, my story Choices is going to be renamed and relocated into my Bonus Scene archive. The transition will take place when I post a new scene there next week.**

**For those of you who suggested Skywing names for me, Thank You. To whomever suggested Falcon, I already had that one in place, but thanks for the input anyways. It just gives me reason to be more confident in my choice in names.**

**Also, to the guy who tried to guess my plot teaser, it wasn't 'Icewings don't retreat'. You gave me an idea, though, when you pointed it out, so thanks for that, too.**

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the last few, but there's some important stuff in this one. I hope you guys enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint and Aurora belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner, BizmuthTheRainwing. Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to their owner, Frostbite15. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Dragons Change

True to his word, a messenger had knocked on their door at first light. Winter had already been awake, but Moon hadn't. He had gotten up early to prepare for their audience. After all, it wouldn't do to go into something as important as this unprepared and looking like an idiot. He needed to know what to say and when to say it.

Anyways, Moon was still asleep when the messenger knocked—loudly. Needless to say, Winter wasn't very happy about that—especially when Moon was startled into a defensive posture with wide, panicked eyes. "Hey, it's okay!" She looked at him and relaxed, "It's just the messenger from Queen Ruby."

After making sure that she was alright, Winter turned to the door with his infamous scowl in place before opening it. The cheery-looking Skywing's smile immediately vanished when she saw the expression on his face, "S-Sorry if I woke you, but Queen Ruby requests your presence for an audience."

He raised an eye ridge in surprise. He didn't expect an audience to happen this early. If the snores coming through the wall were any indication, Blaze and Cataclysm were still asleep._ They'll be fine. It's not like we ALL have to be there._ "Very well. We'll be ready shortly."

Winter didn't wait for a reply before shutting the door in her face. "That was kind of rude, don't you think?" Moon was looking at him with a disappointed expression.

He walked over to the mirror to straighten up the spines on the back of his head and neck, "First rule of living in a castle: Everything you say and do is a representation of your character. I was rude to that servant because she didn't respect us enough to be quiet. Now that she knows that I am above her, she won't make the same mistake again—with us, at least. If I hadn't, she most likely would be testing her limits when it came to the four of us."

"What if she just made a mistake?" She sounded uncertain of her question, so Winter pressed her on that.

"Did she? You tell me. You can read minds." After about ten seconds, she simply sighed in defeat. "I know that you've never had to do anything like this before, so it would be best if you left the talking to me. I may have been the Prince that everyone hated, but I was still a Prince."

After getting his spines in proper order, he turned around to see her deep in thought, "Maybe you should take Blaze then."

Winter pinned her with a serious expression and asked even more seriously, "Are you sure?" He was, of course, implying that she had been threatened yesterday. She seemed to realize this, but she stayed firm with her choice.

"Yes. I'll be safe with Cataclysm, and we won't leave the castle. I promise." Winter continued to stare at her for a few more seconds before nodding.

"Alright. I'll take Blaze, but you HAVE to stay with Cataclysm. You are not allowed to leave her sight." He was, admittedly, quite surprised when she got angry with him. _What did I say this time?_

"Excuse me!? I'm not allowed!? I understand that you only want to protect me, but you can't just order me around!" She had raised her voice, yet he tried not to raise his. _First time sharing a room together in this relationship, and we're already fighting._

He sighed, "Yes, Moon, I can. In case you forgot, there's a psychopathic Skywing out there that wants to do Spirits know what to you. Dragons like that prey on the weak. If you are out alone, you are in much greater danger than if you're with someone else." He closed the gap between them and placed a paw on her cheek and gazed into her eyes, "You're not a fighter. I am. It's my job to protect you…It's your job to let me." She smiled sadly at the mirror of her words from a few days ago before he leaned in and kissed her forehead, "Stay with Cataclysm. I'll be back soon."

With that, he left before gently knocking on Blaze and Cataclysm's door. Blaze was the one that answered. She had the same scowl on her face that Winter had had, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. _I'm not crazy, Moon. Blaze has the same scowl on her face._ He didn't get any kind of answer, but he knew that he had won their little argument.

At seeing who was at the door, Blaze let her scowl drop and smiled back, "Oh, hi! Is there something you need, Winter?"

He nodded, "You and I are going to meet the Queen in a few minutes." Her eyes flew open wide before she rushed back into her room. He could see stuff flying around the room through the doorway, and Cataclysm woke up with an undignified yelp when Blaze stepped on her tail.

"DO YOU MIND!? I'm trying to sleep here!" Cataclysm yelled. Blaze just ignored her. The Skywing looked away in exasperation before seeing Winter in the door, "Sorry about that, Winter. Do you need something? Oh, and you can come in if you want."

Winter nodded in thanks before stepping inside. Blaze was still looking through their belongings for something and he shook his head in amusement. He knew she was looking for something to wear to their audience with the Queen. "Blaze and I are going to speak with Queen Ruby in a few minutes. I need you to watch Moon."

She seemed to understand because she nodded, "I will. Hellstorm and Ashkey are cunning and dangerous enemies, but even they can't reach us in the castle. Is it okay if I show her the museum so she isn't stuck in her room all day?"

Winter thought for a moment. The museum in the castle was a public area, but it was still in the castle. There were guards posted almost at every corner in this place. He nodded, "I'll be back as soon as I can." He looked over to Blaze who was now sitting down with a depressed look on her face at not finding anything suitable to wear, "Come now, Blaze. You don't need anything to wear. We shouldn't be in there for too long, anyway."

She huffed in annoyance, "Fine. Let's go."

Winter watched her leave before shrugging and following her out. He said goodbye one last time to Moon before heading to the throne room. The entrance to the throne room was on the first floor, so he and Blaze had to take the stairs down. It took about ten minutes to reach the doors where—just like last time he was here—the guards searched them and confirmed their identities before letting them through.

The throne room was massive. It was probably the largest of all of the tribes. It wouldn't surprise him if it was. The palace itself was definitely larger than any of the other palaces on Pyrrhia. The throne room doors were near the middle of the ground floor and stood at about four of him in height. Beyond the doors was a massive open space that reached from the ground to the ceiling. A glass dome made up the ceiling, and he could see walkways on the walls that signified each of the five floors in the castle.

If his knowledge of architecture served him right, the throne room made up the entire center and back wall of the palace while the quarters and other rooms were situated along the other three walls. It truly was an imposing piece of work.

Like last time he was here, Queen Ruby sat upon her throne while gazing at her two visitors. If she was surprised at his and Blaze's sudden appearance, she didn't let it show as she kept her face neutral. The guard Captain on her left announced their presence as they stopped at the foot of the dais and bowed, "Now presenting, "Blaze the Sandwing and Winter the Icewing." _I guess they don't consider Blaze as part of her tribe anymore either._ He glanced over to gauge her expression and saw her surprise briefly flash across her face. _She must be just as put-off as I was when I first heard it._

Queen Ruby shifted her weight slightly before speaking once they had raised their heads, "I have to say, Blaze, that I am surprised to see you alive. The last anyone had heard of you is when you challenged Queen Thorn for her throne." She looked over at him next, "And Winter. After eight years, you suddenly show up again in my throne room after sending a single letter in all this time. I don't know if I should feel surprised or insulted at your appearance."

Though he didn't let it show, Winter internally grimaced. He hadn't really expected that from Queen Ruby. She could, of course, be a Changewing in disguise with the amount of jewelry she was wearing: an earring, a necklace, and her crown. Until he knew for certain, though, he would act like this was Queen Ruby herself. "Yes, and I apologize for not writing…or visiting, but I honestly didn't think you cared that much about me or my work."

"Hmm…well, I suppose I could forgive you if you tell me why you are here," she said.

Winter nodded, "The Sanctuary was attacked, Your Majesty." She gasped at the unexpected news, "There were three casualties. We were forced to leave, so I don't know what happened to the building. It could still be standing or they could have burned it down…I don't know." He shook his head in regret. It still hurt leaving the only life he had ever known behind, but he didn't have the luxury of grieving anymore.

"Icewings or Sandwings?" she asked. Winter couldn't stop the surprise from manifesting in his expression at her question. _How does she know?_ She clarified before Winter or Blaze could speak, "I've received disturbing reports coming from the west. It seems that Queen Thorn has gone mad after the disappearance of her adopted son, Qibli." Winter tried not flinch when she said that, and he had no idea if he was successful or not as she continued. "The Icewings are supposedly giving her support even though she's executed almost seventy dragons in the past year."

He heard Blaze gasp, and he couldn't help the horrified expression from appearing on his face. Nevertheless, he answered her question, "Sandwings."

"Sandwings, he says," a new voice joined in. Winter looked over to see who was speaking and saw a familiar, older Skywing standing there. _Falcon. Cliff's old tutor._ Falcon continued, "They were 'attacked' by Sandwings, and Qibli was last seen heading north to the Sanctuary on a social call. Perhaps Winter here was the one who attacked and poor Qibli paid the price. For what, though? Jealousy?"

"What are you talking about!?" the Icewing yelled. "You have no proof of these allegations!"

"Perhaps. But isn't it strange that Qibli disappears after going to your Sanctuary. We sent scouts up there who found the burned and unrecognizable remains of three dragons. Then, you show up here in an apparent relationship with his fiancé. That seems rather suspicious if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you," Winter immediately shot back. In his mind, though, Winter was reeling. _Qibli had asked her to marry him? If he's not dead, then I'm technically having an affair with Moon…I'm not sure how I feel about that._

"Falcon, your accusations are nothing except speculation. Unless you have proof, you cannot accuse dragons of murder," Ruby interfered.

The old Skywing bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize to both you and Winter. The reports of what's happening in the Sand Kingdom has me grieving for the waste of life happening there."

The Queen smiled at him, "I understand, my friend. We all grieve for the loss of life, but we must not let our emotions cloud our judgement." Falcon bowed once more before nodding his head to Winter before taking his place on the Queen's right side. "Now then, I understand you and your friends had a run-in with Hellstorm last night. I would like to formally apologize for that. My guards and my son have been hunting him and his sister for the last several months to no avail. If you would like, I could assign an escort to you and your friends if you feel unsafe?"

Winter shook his head, "I appreciate the offer, but for now I think we'll be alright. Though, I would like to ask, where IS Prince Cliff?"

Ruby looked hesitant to answer but eventually she did, "My son is currently in his room in the royal wing. He's been grounded for breaking curfew last night." _Why would she hesitate to say something like that…unless she has to be careful what she says. Maybe she's trying to tell me something?_

Winter looked over at Blaze for a moment before responding, "He saved our lives, Your Majesty. Surely you could give some kind of exemption for that."

The Queen sighed, "Normally I would, but my son has become obsessed with catching Hellstorm. I forbade him from leaving the castle past sundown once he began threatening my son." There was a pause before the Queen said one last thing, "These are dangerous times in the Sky Kingdom. I don't want anymore dragons getting hurt—especially my son."

To most, that would seem like a Queen being genuinely worried about her people and her son. To him, though, he knew it was something else. _She's trying to warn me. She knows something isn't right here._

Taking that as a dismissal, Winter bowed before turning and leaving the throne room. He heard Blaze follow suit, but Winter was silent and unreadable as he made his way through the palace and back to their rooms. _The Queen knows something isn't right. If she was being careful of what she said, that means that at least one dragon in that room wasn't what they seemed._ He thought back to their audience and only one dragon seemed like he could be the agent: Falcon.

Was that too obvious, though? So far, the Changewings had been anything but subtle with a few rare cases, but maybe they were adapting to their enemies? If they knew how Winter and his allies were finding them, maybe they were finding knew ways to operate. _Ugh! Speculation is useless! I need facts! Where could I find those facts, though?_

They were back on the staircase heading up to the fourth floor. When they reached the door, he paused as Blaze went through. He looked up to where the fifth floor was. _The royal quarters are on the fifth floor. That's doubtless where Prince Cliff is. Maybe…maybe if I can't speak to Ruby in her throne room, I can speak to Cliff where no one else should be._ He paused and looked back at Blaze who was oblivious to the fact that he had stopped as she was still walking down the hallway.

_The royal wing is off-limits except to palace staff and the royal family. You know what they say, though…no risk, no reward._ His mind made up, he caught up with Blaze. He couldn't just use the stairs. It would be too easy to be caught. He had to find another way up there. He didn't know exactly where the Prince's room was and neither could he ask a guard, but he had someone that should know where it was.

He just hoped Cataclysm was still in her room.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. When he checked his and Moon's room, too, no one was in there either. He sighed. He was going to have to wait…or go look for them.

He decided to wait. At the very least, he could talk with Blaze to pass the time.

Wait…

No…

She locked her door. _That's odd._ He decided to knock, "Hey, Blaze, are you okay?"

She opened the door with an annoyed expression, "Yes, but Cataclysm's snoring kept me up almost all night, so I'm going to take a nap. I need my beauty sleep, so if you don't mind…"

Winter took the hint and went back to his room. He waited until the door was shut before he started laughing. Cataclysm_ was the one who snored so loud!? I would have sworn that it was Blaze! How does one so…small…make such loud noises?_ He mentally shrugged. After all, he had better things to think about. Maybe there was someone else he could talk with to pass the time.

He looked around, making sure he was alone before whispering a name, "Aurora?"

He didn't have to wait long before he felt that heightened sense of peace and security that signified her presence. He looked around and saw her ghostly form sitting next to his bookshelf. She was looking at the different books when she answered, "Yes, Winter?"

Winter walked over to her and sat down beside her. She didn't look at him. "The Queen seemed like she was trying to tell me something. I think she knows something is wrong." He paused, but she still didn't answer. Now, he was slightly concerned, "Are you okay?"

She blinked before looking down at him, "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

He hesitated before answering, "Because you're acting…odd. Did I offend you with what I said in the forest? If so, I didn't mean to."

She sighed and looked at the ground, "You didn't offend me, Winter. On the contrary…" she looked back up to him, "You made me think about a great many things. As I am, though, I cannot make sense of them."

He looked at her cautiously, "What are you trying to say, Aurora." She looked back at the books and didn't answer, so Winter was left to sit in silence for several minutes until realization dawned upon him, and his eyes flew open in shock, "You mean…"

She looked over at him and nodded, "I wish to become mortal."

Winter just sat there, trying to comprehend that single sentence. He hoped that she was joking, but after several seconds, she never once broke out into laughter or gave any other sign that she was. It took him several long moments to recompose himself, and when he did, he had a lot of questions, "Is that even possible? I mean, wouldn't that…kill me…because of the whole soul anchor thing?"

She looked back at the books once again—now on another shelf—and answered, "Yes, it is possible, though quite rare and difficult…and yes, it would kill you."

Winter's eyes narrowed, and he spoke almost accusingly, "Aurora, you promised—"

"I know," she interrupted, "and I still do promise, but both of our problems would be solved by a single artifact." She picked up a book—and he, admittedly, was curious as to how—and skimmed through the first few pages before putting it back, obviously unsatisfied.

"What kind of artifact? Which tribe would have it?" He joined her in her search on the bookshelf, though he doubted that anything here would help.

"Old…in the time before the tribes became separated. Few of them were made…and even fewer made it through the many wars on Pyrrhia. If memory serves, though, there should still be one intact…somewhere." She picked up another book called _Myths and Legends_, skimmed through it, and placed it, too, back on the shelf.

"Do you have an idea where it might be?" She gave him a look that very clearly stated 'If I knew, I wouldn't be looking through books to find it, would I?' "Okay, sorry I asked. Do you know what it's called? What it looks like?" he tried.

She thought for a moment before answering. "It is a spherical orb meant to fit comfortably in a dragon's talons. It has been given many names, but the most common, I believe, is an 'Anchor'."

The name and description didn't mean much to Winter. He hadn't ever heard of an object like that. Though, it had to be somewhere relatively unexplored if it had gone this long unfound. Where that was, though, he didn't know. He picked up a book from the bottom shelf called _A Brief History of the Sky Kingdom_ and began reading the first few pages before realizing it only talked about the royal lineage and famous wars and other stuff like that. "Well, how would we find the Anchor?"

"What's the anchor?" a familiar voice asked, "And why are you talking to yourself?"

He whirled around to see Moon with her head cocked slightly to the side to show that she was curious, "I didn't hear you enter," he said, sheepishly. "And…uhh…I was just…I don't know," he lied. He felt terrible for not telling her the truth, but he didn't think that now was the best time to tell Moon about Aurora's existence.

She approached him, concerned, "Is everything alright? You seem jumpy, and you feel…guilty?" She cocked her head in confusion, "Why would you feel guilty?" He looked away, not daring to look into her eyes.

He was silent for the longest time as he wrestled with his thoughts. Should he tell Moon about Aurora or not? It was maddening to say the least. That is, until he heard the Spirit speak. His ear flicked back to better hear what she said, "I think now is as good of a time as any, don't you think, Winter?"

His gaze went to the other side to look into her eyes. "What are you looking at?" he heard Moon ask.

He sighed before asking the thin air—in Moon's view anyways, "Are you sure?" Aurora nodded with her signature motherly smile. He turned back to a thoroughly confused Moon, "Moon, I want to apologize beforehand…and please don't scream." He gestured to the empty space next to him, "This is Aurora."

Moon looked between him and the empty space with a concerned expression on her face, "Who? Winter there's no one there. Are you…hearing voices?" Winter blinked, confused, before looking back to where Aurora was standing.

She wasn't there. "Huh?" He began looking around the room frantically, "Where did she go!?" Almost a minute passed before Aurora popped back in laughing hysterically. "Yeah, haha, very funny! Moon probably thought I was losing my mind!"

Still laughing slightly, Aurora turned to the afore-mentioned Nightwing before becoming a little more concerned, "Oh dear, I didn't frighten you too bad, did I?"

Winter turned back to Moon to see that she had wide eyes with both of her front paws clamped over her muzzle trying to hold back a scream. He rushed over and draped a wing around her, "Hey, hey, it's okay! She's friendly, I promise."

Without turning to look at him, she released the clamp on her muzzle before asking shakily, "W-what is t-that?"

Aurora looked thoroughly offended by that comment, "My name is Aurora, and I'm not a 'that'. I'm a spirit. One of THE Spirits, actually. I've been protecting Winter since his unfortunate premature demise."

Moon gave a silent 'oh' before looking around the room, "Why exactly? I mean, I've heard the stories, but I never was much of a believer. I thought you guys weren't supposed to interfere, though?"

Winter flinched at that before looking up at Aurora with a small grimace. Aurora saw but didn't react other than to explain to Moon the details of Winter's condition. She told the Nightwing that Winter didn't have a full soul, and she was using her essence to anchor his fragmented soul to the mortal world. She told Moon about how it was her that blocked Winter's voice and memories when he first woke up to test him. She told her about the times she and Winter interacted with each other. She didn't leave out a single detail, either.

Moon sat there through the entire explanation, occasionally asking a question, but mostly remaining silent. When everything was said, Moon remained silent for a long time before wrapping Winter into a hug to which he returned. He had gotten used to—at least, more so than before—the fact that he was missing part of his soul, but he could understand that it was a hard thing to hear.

After asking Moon to keep Aurora and his condition a secret—to which she agreed—he asked where Cataclysm was. "Ruby found out about her return and wanted to speak with her. I don't think the Queen knows who she really is, though. She'll probably end up getting suspended from the military, though. At least, that's what the guard who recognized her was thinking…although, I think I can sense her coming this way. She seems…relieved?"

Winter didn't comment as he made his way over to the door and peaked outside. Sure enough, the Skywing was walking down the hall towards their rooms. He couldn't tell if she was relieved, but she at least didn't look depressed or worried or anything. "Hey, Cataclysm!"

She looked over at him when her name was called and came bounding over, "What's up?"

He just motioned for her to come in, to which she did without complaint. "First off, Blaze locked your door, so you might have to hang out here for a while. Second off, do you know where Prince Cliff's room is?"

While she looked extremely annoyed by the first part, she became curious as to the second part, "Yeah, it's on the fifth floor. Why?" At his look that asked her to elaborate, she continued, "It's on the east wall next to the Queen's room." She walked out to the balcony, looked up, and pointed, "That's it, right above yours."

Winter walked out with her and looked up, too, "Huh…what a coincidence. Stay here with Moon. If anyone asks, you had no idea what I was doing."

"What are you tal—Hey! You can't go up there!" Cataclysm yelled as he took wing and flew up to the balcony above theirs. He knocked gently on the door.

After a moment, he knocked again and received an answer. The door opened to reveal a VERY surprised Prince Cliff, "What are you doing here!? You can't be up here, Winter!"

Winter nodded but continued, regardless, "I know, but I need to talk to you. May I come in?"

Cliff raised his eye ridge but nodded as he stepped back and let Winter in. "You have two minutes before I call the guards." Cliff proceeded to his desk as he began writing something on a piece of paper.

"I couldn't say this in front of the Queen because I had no idea who might be listening. I believe that there is going to be an assassination attempt here in the palace."

Cliff stopped writing and turned around, "Assassination? On who?"

"You," was his immediate reply.

"That's a serious claim. Do you have any proof? Any clue on who the assassin is?" Cliff paused before adding, "Sixty seconds."

Winter thought about Falcon, but he didn't know for sure if he was it, so instead he tried, "The only proof I have is the word of one of the assassins who decided she didn't want to take part in it."

"Who might this assassin be?" Cliff started walking closer, but Winter didn't move from his spot by the balcony door.

"A Skywing defector by the name of Cataclysm," Winter replied after a moment. He felt bad about ratting her out, but he didn't have much of a choice.

"Cataclysm?" he asked confused. "Well then…that complicates matters." Before Winter could react, Cliff had swept his legs out from under him and pinned him to the floor, "Guards!" Winter felt a piece of paper get stuffed into his talons before he heard Cliff whisper, "I'm sorry."

A few seconds later, two Skywing guards burst into the room and grabbed the still-pinned Winter. He tried to put up a fight, but he also wasn't. For some reason, Cliff's apology seemed like he had some sort of plan. He didn't know why, but he was inclined to trust the Prince for the time being.

"What should we do with him, My Prince?" one of the guards, a male, said.

"Put him in a cell for a few days. There was no harm done, and he only wanted to talk, but as per my mother's rules, no one is allowed up here." Both of the guards gave crisp nods before dragging Winter through the palace.

He saw a few more guards exit ahead of them on the fourth floor. He could only guess that they were about to start questioning his friends. Poor Blaze would get one heck of a wake-up call.

Down the stairs they carried him until they were below ground. These were the Sky Kingdom dungeons, huh? They didn't seem too bad. There was plenty of natural light, and it seemed pretty clean—for a dungeon at least. There were no sounds of agony sounding through the halls, so at least no one was getting tortured. He saw another prisoner getting his food delivered that comprised of a healthy sized goat, so apparently, this place wasn't that bad.

He could probably spend a few days down here no problem. The guards, forcefully, but not over-zealously, shoved him into an empty cell before leaving. The cell wasn't anything special. Stone walls with a single iron door, a window in the back to let in light and let smoke from the torches out. There was a small pile of sand to sleep on, too. _At least it beats solid rock._

When the guards had left, he remembered the piece of paper that Cliff had shoved into his talon. He uncrumpled it before reading at it. His eyes widened when he did. It was short, hastily scrawled, and barely legible, but he was able to read it.

_Can't talk. Being watched. Sky Kingdom in danger. Please help._

He read it again and again over a dozen times to make sure it said what he thought it did before the full meaning fell on him. _They know something is wrong. They know! They don't know who to trust otherwise they wouldn't ask me for help. How am I supposed to help, though? I have no idea who the enemy is! I don't even know where to start! This is the largest city on Pyrrhia! It would be like finding a snowflake in a field of snowflakes! Unless…Cliff seemed to think that Hellstorm and Ashkey were dangerous. They are, of course, but how would they keep evading the entire guard?_

That's when the realization dawned on him. _There were no guards on the street when they attacked Moon and I. Cliff saved our lives by killing one of them. Maybe he wasn't supposed to. Maybe that's why he was 'grounded'. Whoever is controlling Ruby from within the shadows must have been furious and did this as a way to control the Prince. Maybe that's why Ruby hesitated. _

_ If Hellstorm and Ashkey are working for or with the Changewings, it would be no wonder the guards would be told to look the other way—especially if they have someone inside the palace…or in a leadership position in the military. That means Cliff going after them was a false promise to the citizens…unless Cliff is testing the winds. If he wasn't supposed to, and he continues pushing his limits, the enemy might decide to end his meddling sooner rather than later._

He looked around the cell. He had to get out of here, _Aurora, where are you?_

She never appeared, but he heard her voice in his head, _I heard your thought process, and I agree. This seems like a suitable course of action to take._

Winter blinked before looking around the hallway, making sure no one was paying attention, _Thanks, but how do I get out of here?_ Several minutes passed with no answer. _Aurora?_ Several more minutes and still no answer. He huffed, "Great."

The door was rather simple, so he could freeze the lock before breaking it. Would it be better to wait, though? Cliff said a few days, but what if they didn't have a few days? Ultimately he decided to wait.

And wait he did. Lunch came and went. It was part of a deer—not his favorite meal, but he would eat it. After he didn't keel over from poison after the first few bites, he decided to just eat the rest of it. Water was brought shortly afterwards before guards came and cleaned up the mess. Dinner came and went in much the same way, and soon enough he decided to sleep for the night once he saw the sun going down through the window.

When he woke, breakfast was waiting for him, and he ate that, too. It was a little bit before lunch when he heard claw steps coming down the hall—a few sets, at that. He didn't really care, though. It was probably just another prisoner being escorted down here.

Before long, though, he heard them stop outside his door. _Probably just an early lunch._ However, a voice he recognized but couldn't place spoke. Due to the accent, he was undoubtedly an Icewing, "When I heard that an Icewing named Winter had been locked up in the dungeons of the Sky Kingdom, I admit I didn't think it would be my brother."

Winter's eyes flew open at that, and he looked up to see a familiar face smiling down at him. _What is he doing here!? _He didn't let surprise mar his features, though, "Hailstorm? I didn't expect to see you here."

He saw Hailstorm turn to the guard, "I'll cover his fines. You can let him out." The guard nodded before the jingle of keys was heard. Eventually, the guard found the right key, and the tumblers clanked as the door swung inwards.

Once it was opened, Winter slowly stood up before carefully walking out while observing his fellow Icewing with suspicion. That suspicion only increased when Hailstorm brought Winter into a warm—or chilly, rather—embrace. Winter only stiffened. It seemed that Hailstorm either didn't notice or didn't care about the frosty glare Winter was sending him.

Winter didn't wait before walking down the halls back towards the stairs that led back into the palace. He heard Hailstorm trailing behind him, but he didn't comment. Winter was fuming, though. _Is this actually Hailstorm or is it some elaborate scheme to use my family against me? I swear if this isn't actually my brother, someone is getting gutted._

Winter lead the other Icewing back up to the fourth floor and to his room. He noticed an extra patrol of guards in the hallways. _Probably to keep an eye on me. Frankly, I'm surprised Ruby let us stay in her palace after what I did._ He knocked on his door, and Cataclysm answered, "Umm…what are you doing in my room?"

"Blaze locked me out again, so I've been hanging out with Moon…Who's your friend?" Cataclysm opened the door to let him in when he heard Hailstorm ask?

"Wait. Blaze? As in ex-Princess Blaze?" He saw Cataclysm nod, but he didn't answer.

He saw Moon staring at the door with a look of hope, and when he was in his room, she lunged forward and wrapped him in a hug—completely disregarding the other Icewing's presence. "Don't you ever do anything like that again! You had me so worried!"

He closed his eyes as guilt started eating away at him. He hadn't even thought about Moon before he did what he did. "I'm sorry. I didn't even think." They stayed like that for several moments until Winter remembered why he was mad in the first place.

That said reason, cleared his throat somewhat uncomfortably before trying to ask, "Do you mind expla—Ooof!" Winter had smacked Hailstorm's chest with his tail as he turned before using his back legs to push up and bodily pin the larger Icewing against the wall with one claw on his neck and the other over his heart, "Winter!? What the hell are you doing!?"

"Shut up," he snarled. A few guards came running into the room when they heard the disturbance, and Winter yelled back at them, "Family business! Do not interfere!" He didn't pay attention to whether or not they left before he looked at Cataclysm and ordered her to, "Check him."

The Skywing complied. She checked the immobile Icewing for anything that a Changewing could use to disguise themselves. She removed the single earring from him, and Winter recognized it as one that Qibli had mass-copied to combat any spells that Darkstalker had made.

There was no sudden transformation. There was just a very confused and slightly outraged Icewing pinned to the wall. Just to be safe, though, "Moon, can you sense anything off?" She shook her head, and Winter released him as he came to the sudden realization that this was his brother. This was the only member of his family that ever truly cared about him.

He gently released Hailstorm from his hold and lowered himself down to all fours as he looked to the ground. He glanced up to see that Hailstorm had snatched back his earring from Cataclysm, and he looked rather livid. "I bail you out of prison, and this is the thanks I get? What the hell is your problem, anyways!? I thought after eight years you might be a little more happy to…see me."

Winter was trying to control the sudden onrush of emotions at seeing his brother alive and well—he really was—but he couldn't stop himself from embracing Hailstorm mid-rant, causing him to trail off in confusion. He had to remind himself that this wasn't Flint, so he couldn't go all sappy Mudwing on him, but he still wanted Hailstorm to know that he cared, so he said three simple words, "I missed you."

Hailstorm seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in after he heard those words because he said back, "I missed you, too." The older Icewing cleared his throat again as the broke apart, "Now, mind explaining what that was all about?"

Winter looked behind him to see that the guards had, in fact, left. "Hailstorm? Do you remember the stories about Changewings?"

Hailstorm raised an eye ridge, "You mean the shapeshifting dragons? Yeah, I remember those stories."

"Well…they're real, and most of them aren't friendly." Hailstorm was silent for several seconds before breaking out into laughter than ended a few seconds later with an awkward chuckle.

"You're being serious?" He received nods from the three other dragons in the room, "Prove it."

Hailstorm had a smug expression on his face, thinking that they couldn't, but that smirk turned into shock when Cataclysm stepped forward and took off her earring. Moon made her way to the door and locked it so no one would disturb them. As before, the change took around two minutes, and she looked like a completely different dragon when it was done.

Cataclysm replaced the earring once Hailstorm relented. Winter spoke next, "Now I get a question. What are you doing here? Why aren't you back home?"

The older dragon looked over with a serious expression, "I swear to you, Winter, that Snowfall has lost her mind. She began trading with the Sandwings around four years ago, which would be okay…except she hates Sandwings. Then, all of a sudden, Queen Thorn starts going crazy and killing dragons left and right to which Snowfall gives her complete support. She's built new dungeons and I've seen dragons go in before coming out a few days later."

Winter's eyes flew open wide. _Is this where the missing dragons are being sent?_ "Say that again? What kinds of dragons?"

Hailstorm looked kind of confused but answered, "Sandwings, Icewings, Rainwings, Skywings, Mudwings, Seawings, a few Nightwings, too. You name a tribe and I've seen them go in there."

Winter turned his shocked expression over to Moon—who looked equally as shocked. _Depending on how they're treated, they might be alive!_ Winter let out a shaky breath and leaned on the wall to steady himself, "That's not all, though," Hailstorm said. "Mother's suddenly gotten friendly with Snowfall, too."

_That can't be right. _ "I thought mother hated Snowfall, even if for no other reason than taking the throne when she felt she deserved it more." Hailstorm shrugged. He didn't know.

"A couple of months ago, I just couldn't take it anymore. I ran off with some of mother's treasures and sold them for a place here. It's the only place that isn't too hot for my liking. I haven't had anyone stop by looking for me, either." Winter looked at Hailstorm for a long time. _Should I tell him why we're here?_

"I think you should," chimed Aurora from next to Moon who didn't jump like he expected her to.

Winter sighed before nodding, "Hailstorm, I have one hell of a story to tell you…"

Over the next several hours, Winter, Moon, and Cataclysm relayed their story to the older Icewing. Surprisingly enough, Hailstorm had sat through the entire thing in silence and asked if they needed his help once they were finished. Though, they had left out the part about Darkstalker. It would probably be best to wait on that one.

"Help would be appreciated, yes," Winter said. "Since I've told you everything, I probably just painted a target on your back. Besides, we have a lot to catch up on."

Hailstorm smiled, but Moon was the next to speak, "What do we do next, though? If we know where the missing dragons are, shouldn't we go save them?"

"No," Hailstorm answered. "Anyone who isn't an Icewing will be killed trying to cross the border by our ancient defensive spells. The only way those prisoners get in is with the three special bracelets that grants them entry."

"What are you saying? That we should just forget about them?" Cataclysm added a little hotly.

"Nobody's saying that," Winter intervened. "For the record, though, I agree with Hailstorm. We'd need an animus to counteract those spells, and the only animus dragons on Pyrrhia are still in the Sea Kingdom. We also have more immediate concerns here in the Sky Kingdom. For now, we just have to stick to the plan. Finish up here, go to the Sea Kingdom to meet the others, then we figure out the rest from there."

Moon and Cataclysm nodded—albeit, slightly unsure—before Hailstorm let out a chuckle, "Seems like you have it all figure out. Are you sure you need me?"

Somehow, Winter still had Cliff's note. None of the guards had seen it, and he hadn't dropped it on the way here. Therefore, he decided to show it to the others, "Before the guards dragged me off, Cliff put this piece of paper in my talons." He reached back to move a few of his spines out of the way and grabbed the piece of paper before handing it to Cataclysm.

She read it before passing it to Moon, who passed it to Hailstorm. All of them were shocked by the obvious plea for help. "He reacted strangely when I said your name, Cataclysm. Any idea why?"

"You ratted me out!? I don't believe it!" She ran a paw down her face in frustration before answering, "And yeah, I have an idea. I used to be his bodyguard."

"Well, you failed to mention that part, didn't you?" Moon asked with slight hostility.

"Hey, Hey, there's no need to be that way. I'm sure all of you have had a long day, but try to remain civil, alright?" Moon nodded and apologized after Hailstorm's intervention.

"That brings up an interesting point, though. If they could get someone that close to the Prince, who's to say there aren't others as close. Falcon seemed pretty suspicious when we went to the throne room. He's one of the Queen's advisors and former tutor for the Prince. I also got to do a lot of thinking while in that cell. You probably won't like this, Moon, but we need to track down Hellstorm." She blanched at that, and he didn't blame her. He explained his reasoning to all of them before dismissing them for the night.

Blaze, apparently, had unlocked the door for Cataclysm, who had promised to fill Blaze in on the new developments. Moon began getting comfortable on the cushion, and Hailstorm turned to his brother, "I've got extra space at my place if you need somewhere to sleep."

Winter declined, "This IS my room, Hailstorm."

"Then why is she…Oh…" he stopped and blinked several times. "You do realize what happened the last time an Icewing and Nightwing decided the same thing?"

Moon looked completely outraged by that, but Winter motioned for her that he would take care of it, "Yes, I remember what happened, but I hope you will respect my decision…for good or ill."

Hailstorm just nodded and left without another word.

The two of them didn't speak as they prepared to bed down for the night because words weren't needed. Moon, like always, fell asleep first, and Winter was alone with his thoughts for the time being. He couldn't help but begin doubting his decision again. If Qibli was alive, well…

He couldn't think about that now, though—not with the pressing matters at claw. He needed a plan for tomorrow because every day that went by without progress was another day wasted. Since they didn't know when to expect all hell to break loose, they couldn't afford to waste any more days than necessary.

Winter knew that the best way to find Hellstorm and his sister would be with Cliff's help. There was one problem with that, though…

How would the Skywing Prince be able to help them when it was clear he couldn't even help himself?

**AN: I hope everyone enjoyed this one. I'm betting no one expected Hailstorm to pop up. And Aurora wanting to become mortal? _Whaaat? _Tell me what you think in a review or pm. Constructive criticism only please, flames will not only be ignored but reported. There's no reason for that kind of behavior. If you don't like it, say so. Just don't be obnoxious about it.**

**For anyone curious, the poll standings are:**

**Moon: 8 (I caught someone voting twice...I better keep my eyes peeled)**

**Blaze: 5**

**Aurora: 0 (I think she's feeling a little left out, guys)**

**I will try my absolute best to get another chapter out before the end of the month, but with school starting in about two weeks, I make no promises. If the main chapters take too long, I'll try to have a bonus scene for you guys. They're usually shorter and easier to write anyways.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	15. Chapter 14

Dragons Change

**AN: This is probably going to be a long one, so I apologize in advance.**

**First off, I want to just say that I promised a new chapter before the end of the month, and I technically did that since it's...you know...the end of the month. You guys have been so patient. *wink***

**Secondly, I wanted to answer a few unanswered questions. I was once asked how long this story was going to be, and I finally have a rough estimate. It will approximately be between 30 and 40 chapters...so around 250k to 350k words. Yeah...we've still got a ways to go.**

**I was also asked why I had Spirits in my story since in their opinion, it was unrealistic. Well, I'll tell ya. My mind works in a rather unique way. When I started planning this story out. I drew a few parallels between Pyrrhia and Tamriel (Elder Scrolls Series). In Tamriel, every race has their own province, cultures, and natural abilities (some are better mages, some are better warriors, and so forth...) In Pyrrhia, each tribe has its own Kingdom (with one exception, but for the majority of history, the Nightwings did have their own), their own culture, and their own natural abilities. I won't bore you with all of the other parallels that I drew, but there are gods in the Elder Scrolls called the Divines or Aedra. The Spirits were inspired by the Aedra. **

**To make this abundantly clear, though, this is not a crossover. I was just inspired from multiple different sources to write this.**

**The third thing is, for everyone writing AUs based on my story (or anyone who's just curious), I have a list of all of the Spirits and a short description of their personality on my profile page.**

**Fourth, I have a beta profile active for all Wings of Fire stories. If you want me to look over something, you can ask. However, I am a sophomore in college. I have a lot of homework to do, so if you send me something, I will do my absolute best to get it done ASAP. It might take a few days, though, so be patient.**

**And Fifth, I am opening an official poll for who Winter should be with. Make sure you give it thought before just giving an answer because you won't be able to change it.**

**WARNING: I dropped an f-bomb is this chapter near the end. I only did it because it fit the situation. Also, there's a part right afterwards where a situation between Winter and Blaze escalates a little quickly. There's nothing too severe. I tried to keep it T-ish, but if for any reason anyone thinks this story needs a rating bump, please tell me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint, Aurora, and the other Spirits on my profile page belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to their owner Frostbite15. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 14:

Winter woke up before the sun was fully risen. Moon was still asleep cuddled up next to him, and he smiled at the sight. Despite knowing how uncertain their future was—in more ways than one—he was happy to stay in the present and take things one day at a time.

Maybe he would get lucky and this amazing dragoness would decide to stay with him, so they could live out their lives together. Maybe they'd find Qibli, and she would decide that her future should lie with him instead. After all, they had apparently been due to marry.

The future was uncertain. There was no telling how events would unfold. The past was set in stone, yet everyone could interpret it in different ways. The present, however…well, it is what it is. There was no way to change it, no way to twist it to your own needs because it was happening now. It was a gift.

It was a gift that kept on giving.

Winter was more than happy to keep receiving this gift, too. As he had told Aurora before, moments like these were the reasons he was able to get up and continue fighting.

They were the reason he was willing to fight in the first place.

So, he just laid there in peace as the rising dawn gently warmed his scales, and the sounds of the city and creatures beyond that were greeting the new day flowed through the open door of their balcony to greet them.

Wait a minute…open door?

He didn't leave that door open.

With that realization, he was once more on high alert. Was someone in here with them? Did they already leave? Had anything been stolen?

A sound alerted him to a nearby presence, and he looked over to see an extremely guilty looking Cataclysm, "Sorry!" she whisper-yelled, "Blaze kicked me out again. She seems to think that I snore."

Winter was torn between being angry at her coming into their room uninvited and without warning—while they were sleeping, too—and laughing at the absurdity of her statement. _How can someone who snores so _loud_ not know they do?_ In the end, he settled with a disgruntled huff and laid his head back down beside Moon's.

A smile made its way on his face as he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent once more. It always calmed him down and made him happy. There was silence for a few more minutes before the Skywing whispered again, "I think you two make a great couple."

Winter opened his eyes again and focused back on Cataclysm. He and Moon weren't officially together yet, but they were 'technically' dating. Despite knowing this, Cataclysm's simple statement felt…right.

Moon had long since become more than a friend to him but girlfriend didn't seem to fit either. They weren't married yet…but they were planning on it…right? When Moon said 'make it official', is that what she meant? He hoped so. He would ask her later when they had some time alone.

He liked the idea of them being together, though. He liked that they were being thought of as a couple. Despite all of these thoughts swirling around his head, he finally said a simple, "Thank you."

It was another thirty or so minutes before Moon woke, and he greeted her sleepy look with a gently peck to her cheek to which she smiled warmly at him, "I'm actually starting to look forward to waking up in the mornings now." She gave him a quick nuzzle underneath his jaw before she froze. Evidently she had just realized that they weren't alone. Moon closed her eyes as a blush began forming on her cheeks, "G-good morning, Cataclysm. H-how are you?"

"Oh, I'm doing just fine, Moon! I'm just enjoying the show is all. No need to stop," the Skywing replied back in a joking and slightly sensual tone. Moon proceeded to bury her face in the pillow with a groan to which both Winter and Cataclysm snickered in amusement.

He wasn't really bothered by it. He had learned long ago that he was pretty much destined to be humiliated. No one respected a screw up like him. "Alright, stop that! You're not a screw up, and you don't deserve to be humiliated! Whoever told you that was a moron!"

Moon's outburst had shaken him from his thoughts, but his spines ruffled in agitation and he looked away. _That moron was my father, Moon. Despite his shortcomings as a parent, I still respected him._ She was silent after that.

With a slightly more sour mood compared to a few minutes ago, Winter got up, went out the balcony door, and closed it. It was a clear message: I want to be alone.

Sometimes he just needed to take a breather. He wasn't really mad or frustrated or even annoyed. He was conflicted. He knew that Moon was right. He had learned to start believing his friends when they said he wasn't worthless. More than that, he had started to believe it himself. It just didn't sit right to hear his father insulted so blatantly.

Winter had always been a disappointment to his parents, but they had never… His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the door above him open. A small paper contraption flew into the open before catching the wind, turning around, and bumping into Winter's chest. He picked it up and unfolded it carefully before some writing caught his eye.

_I apologize for last time, but it wasn't safe to talk. I've been assigned to patrol along the city's outskirts. At noon, I'll be flying near the mountains to the north. There is a cave hidden there where we could talk. _

_There's always another dragon following me at a distance. I don't know who it is, but they would need to be taken care of. I'm not due back until an hour before sunset, so that gives us plenty of time to plan our next move once they're out of the way. _

_I know you probably don't trust me after what happened a few days ago, but I've heard reports and rumors of what you're capable of. I'm tired of being a pawn. I want to save my city, my mother, and my tribe, but I can't do it alone. I need your help, Winter._

_Signed,_

_Prince Cliff of the Skywings_

Winter finished reading the note and looked out to the cityscape. He hadn't heard the door above him open and close, so he decided to try something. "It's a beautiful city, isn't it?" he asked.

There was a few seconds delay before the Prince's voice replied wistfully, "…Yes, it is." A few moments after that, he heard the door open and shut. Winter looked at the note in his talons again before coming to a decision. This could very well be a trap, but this was the best lead they had. They needed Cliff's help to track down Hellstorm.

If this was the only way that could happen, so be it.

Since he was alone on the balcony, he decided that it was worth the risk to call Aurora. "Aurora?" She appeared a few moments later beside him and stared out at the city. He held out the note to her to which she looked down at it and frowned. "What do you think? Is it a trap?"

She was quiet for a minute before answering, "My purpose here to is to guide you, Winter. I was never meant to become as involved as I am. Though, I suppose getting to know you as a friend was worth it." She stopped and sighed. He couldn't help but think to himself, _She sees me as a friend?_ "Yes, I do."

Winter recoiled in surprised, "You can read my mind? I thought only Nightwings could do that."

A small smile formed on her face, "Yes, I can read your thoughts, Winter, just as you can sometimes hear mine." He thought back to the times when he heard her voice inside her head. _I suppose it makes sense. I never really thought of it that way, though._ "Nevertheless, I believe that you are becoming too dependent upon me. Until now, I have done what I believe is right, but I am no longer able to give you direction. You may call upon me if you wish to talk, but I will no longer come if you need my help unless the need is dire."

She turned as if she was about to walk away and began disappearing, "Wait!" he called out to her. She paused. "You can't even give me advice as a friend?"

She looked back at him, "The advice I would give you as both Spirit and friend are the same, Winter. I am sorry, but this is for your own good…and for the future of Pyrrhia."

With that, she was gone.

Winter just sat there staring at the spot where Aurora had just been sitting, feeling more than a little betrayed. It wasn't until the door opened a few minutes later and Moon poked her head through that he looked away from that spot, "I heard your conversation—well, half of it anyways…Are you okay?" The concern in her voice made him feel a little bit better, but Aurora's declaration impacted him more than he would have thought possible.

Yes, he could still call her just to talk, but what would she consider to be him asking for her help? Would she just disappear as soon as the topic changed to something remotely concerned with the future? It made him feel bitter inside. Like any other time he felt hurt, he did the one thing that came easiest to him.

He covered it up with anger.

He remembered how Moon had said a long time ago that it was harder to see into Icewing minds than any other dragons. Not only that, but when an Icewing is feeling strong emotions, it became even harder. He didn't really understand all of that stuff since he couldn't read minds, but he was hoping that it was true. As much as he loved Moon, he just didn't want her in his mind right now.

If her worried expression was any indication, it must have been working. With a scowl, he stood and walked past her as he muttered a simple, "I'm fine."

When he walked in, he was surprised to see Hailstorm here already. "I came here once I saw the sun rising. I didn't know where else we would meet." His brother's tone was almost cold and uncaring. He fixed Winter with a small glare when he entered. _What did I do now?_ When Moon came in behind him, Hailstorm's switched his glare to her. Winter could almost feel the resentment coming off of his older brother. _I guess he doesn't approve, after all._

Winter paused and growled slightly. Normally, he wouldn't care either way what Hailstorm thought about his love life, but this wasn't a normal situation.

You see, Winter was more than a little ticked off at the moment.

"If you have something to say to me, Hailstorm, say it. This isn't the Ice Palace. You don't have to worry about having your rank lowered for offending somebody." Hailstorm's gaze switched to him and his eyes narrowed.

There was a moment of thick tension in the room. Moon and Cataclysm had both held their breaths in case any little thing would set the two Icewings off. "Fine. I don't approve of your choice of…_friend,_" he replied bitterly with an obvious glance in Moon's direction. "I thought mother had been too harsh when she banished you from the tribe and our family just for interacting with the other tribes, but _this?_ This a direct insult to our entire tribe, Winter."

Winter closed the distance between them until his face was uncomfortable close to Hailstorm's. To his brother's credit, though, he didn't flinch at all. The older Icewing matched Winter's glare and didn't once back down, "In case you forgot, I don't _have_ a tribe anymore. I'm not a Prince anymore. I'm not even an Icewing anymore…and I don't plan on going back." Winter backed away, "Think of me how you will. I don't really care. Now, you can either stay and help, or you can leave." He turned away as a clear sign that he didn't care to hear Hailstorm's reply and spoke to Moon next, "Go get Blaze. She needs to be here."

Moon hesitated as she looked between the two Icewings before nodding quietly and leaving through the front door. The silence that followed was frosty to say the least, but Moon and a tired-looking Blaze entered the room after a few minutes. Blaze plopped down next to Hailstorm and Moon sat down uncertainly next to Cataclysm while looking at the older Icewing cautiously. When she gazed sadly at him, Winter raised a wing. _Come here, Moon,_ he thought gently. _Don't let Hailstorm get to you. He may not like it, but he won't do anything._

Moon hesitated slightly before walking over and taking her place by his side. He draped his wing over her as his glare never left Hailstorm. His brother looked away after a moment. _We were getting along yesterday. Why do we always have to fight like this?_

Winter held up the note in his claws once the doors had been shut and locked and the others were waiting to hear what he had to say. "This note was given to me by Prince Cliff when I was on the balcony. He's given us a lead."

"Can we really trust him after he had you arrested?" Blaze asked. "How do we know this isn't a trap?"

"We don't," was his reply, "But we don't have a choice. I don't know what will happen, and I won't ask you to put your lives at risk for my hunch."

"That's the thing, Winter," Cataclysm began. "You don't have to. You have my support no matter where we go or how dangerous it might be."

Blaze nodded, "As will I. I've already sworn my service to you. It would look bad on me if I didn't follow you during the hard times, too."

He looked down at Moon, and she smiled at him, "You're not going anywhere without me."

Everyone looked over at Hailstorm. He was looking down in thought before his gaze drifted toward the door. Winter had been sure that Hailstorm was about to leave, but the Icewing turned his gaze back to his brother. "Despite how much of a hot-headed pain you are right now, you are still my little brother. It wouldn't feel right if I wasn't there looking out for you."

Winter's expression softened, and with as much sincerity as he could muster, looked his brother in the eyes and said, "Thank you…and I'm sorry for being a 'hot-headed pain'." Hailstorm responded with an amused snort. "For whatever it's worth, I'm glad that you're here."

He received a nod and a ghost of a smile. That was good enough for right now. "So what's this lead, Winter? What's our plan here?" Cataclysm asked.

Winter thought for a minute before his gaze landed on his brother, and a devious plan came to mind, "Here's what we're going to do…"

When the sun was about to signal mid-day, Winter was winging his way towards the cave that Cliff had mentioned in his note. Cataclysm had given them the specific location earlier, so he knew he was getting close.

The Skywing, Blaze, Moon, and Hailstorm had left earlier to make it to their designated positions. Moon had been furious that he wanted to separate from her, but in the end she relented. She was probably still mad at him though. _Oh well…I'll deal with it later. I just hope she sticks with the plan._

About fifteen minutes later, he landed on the ledge that led into the cave. It was pretty shallow, so it was kind of hard to not see the other Icewing sitting in the middle of the room, "Anything yet?" he asked.

Hailstorm shook his head, "The Prince hasn't entered her range of detection yet." He gave a motion with his head to the shadows at the back of the cave. Winter didn't see anything when he looked until Moon opened up a wing and waved at him before becoming a lump again. _Good hiding place, Moon. They'll never see you back there. _"What about the other two? Are they in position?"

Winter nodded. "I saw their signal when I flew over them. They're ready." Hailstorm nodded. He then proceeded to exit the cave and sit on the ledge as he scanned the skies for Cliff and the dragon he claimed was following him.

Almost an hour passed until Winter saw a red speck flying in the distance. It was still too far away to make out when another red speck materialized on the horizon. He could only assume that the closer speck was Cliff. Twenty minutes later that was confirmed when the Skywing prince landed on the ledge next to him. Winter had to admit that he sometimes forgot how fast Skywings could fly. It was quite impressive, actually.

"You're either brave or foolish to be standing out here so brazenly after my warning, Winter." Cliff spoke with a disapproving frown.

Winter motioned for him to come inside, "The answer is neither." Once they were safely inside, Hailstorm bolted out of the cave after a few minutes and started flying as fast as he could to the west since the mystery Skywing was coming from the east. "I'm smart."

Cliff watched the other Icewing fly away. "Who was that?"

"My brother," he answered. "Should everything go according to plan, your tail should think he is me and chase after him."

"And if it doesn't?" Cliff looked around the small cave. He didn't see Moon, either. "Like if there's two of them, and one of them comes in here?"

Winter stopped and pinned the Prince with a glare, "Are there two?"

Cliff blinked a few times at the sudden change in tone before shaking his head, "I've only ever seen the one."

"I suppose it doesn't matter. Let's get to the point. You want to track down Hellstorm? I do, too. I think we should work together to find him, but before we do that. You're going to tell me everything that you know about the situation in the Sky Kingdom." Cliff sighed and looked away.

It was a few moments before he spoke, "I first noticed it around a year ago. Strange disappearances from the city, a rise in crime, and then my mother starts acting weird. There were whispers from the populace that whatever had caused the rainforest to go silent had shown up here. The first thing everyone thought of was that the Darkstalker had returned."

_ Well…he had, but he isn't the one behind this, _Winter thought to himself.

"After several months, though, he still hadn't shown himself, and the Icewings were still alive, so I guess it wasn't him. Then corruption in the military started running rampant. Mother's sacked several generals accused of being corrupt in the last year, but they all end up in the same place afterwards: Hellstorm's gang. Then, one night, something happened to my mother. When I saw her the next morning, she was pale and terrified out of her mind. I didn't know what it was, and she wouldn't tell me. She's gotten less jumpy since then, but I can tell she's still afraid of something." Cliff sighed again.

"Even after all this time, I'm still no closer to the truth of who's behind it all. Since all of the sacked general end up in his gang, I thought that maybe Hellstorm had some connection, but beyond that, I don't know anything…sorry."

Winter shook his head, "Don't be. It may be less than I hoped, but it's still more than I had. So, Thank You—"

"Yes, thank you for luring Winter out here all alone," a new voice chimed in. They both turned to the entrance to see a Skywing that Winter remembered from the night Hellstorm threatened Moon. "I knew that other Icewing wasn't you. I guess I outsmarted you." He pulled out a spear from under his wing and pointed it at Winter and Cliff.

The Icewing back up as the new threat walked forward. Cliff was infuriated, and Winter could tell that he was about to attack, but when the two of them hit the wall in the back of the cave, Winter had a single thought.

_Now, Moon!_

Without warning and without anyone but Winter knowing that she was there, Moon sprang forth from the shadows with a roar and tackled the Skywing onto his side. He was bigger than any of them, though, but with him surprised by Moon's attack, the spear had fallen out of his claws.

The Skywing was a fighter. Moon wasn't, so she jumped away once her initial attack was finished. As soon as she was clear, both Winter and Cliff jumped into the fray as the big Skywing got onto his feet again.. The bigger Skywing was tackled head on by Cliff, but when he rolled, he used his back feet to launch Cliff out of the cave. Moon followed after him to make sure he was all right.

Now, Winter was alone against a larger foe. It was clear this was a dangerous opponent.

Winter wasn't fazed by this fact. The Skywing turned his wrathful gaze onto his enemy and stalked forward. Winter didn't move, for he was about to unleash an Icewing's most deadly weapon.

The Skywing's eyes widened once he realized what was about to happen. There was no cover in this cave, and neither was there room enough to evade it. The Skywing had two choices: lunge at Winter and hope the frost breath didn't kill him before the Skywing could stop him or retreat out of the cave.

He chose the latter.

The Skywing did a back flip and used his talons to push off of the ceiling and through the cave entrance. He didn't once look back once his wings were unfurled, and he was heading directly south towards the city.

Cliff climbed back up with Moon behind him as he watched the Skywing fly away, "Where does he think he's going?"

"When you gotta go, you gotta go," Winter absently replied. They watched for a few minutes until Cataclysm and Blaze sprung up from their hiding place in the forest. The smaller Skywing tackled the larger in midair, and they both were sent tumbling to the ground. They heard the pained screams all the way from where they were. "Come on! They might need help!"

Winter took to the skies with the other two following right behind. Within a few minutes, they had reached their destination. Blaze was pacing frantically around the two Skywings who were on the ground. Cataclysm's wing had been torn during the fall and her back left leg looked broken judging by the awkward angle it was jutting out in. She was unconscious.

The other Skywing was in much worse shape. Since he landed on the bottom, both of his wings were broken, and it would be a miracle if his spine hadn't been fractured. He was conscious—barely—but it didn't look like he would be going anywhere anytime soon.

"See if you can get anything from him, Moon. Anything he knows might be helpful." She nodded before doing as he requested. Winter made his way over to his injured friend and sat down. He placed a talon on her neck to feel for a pulse. It was there, and it was strong. She would be fine when she woke up aside from the broken leg. "How far did they fall, Blaze?"

The Sandwing stopped pacing and looked at him, "At least a thousand feet. Can we do anything to help her?" Winter was about to shake his head when he remembered something.

He walked back over to Moon. She was asking the Skywing questions. Even though he couldn't really answer, he could tell by the victorious grin on her face that she was getting the answers from his thoughts. "Do you have everything you need from him?"

She looked up and nodded, "I'll tell you later when we're safe."

Winter nodded. That was acceptable. "Do you have Turtle's rock with you?" She started looking around in her satchel before pulling it out and holding it out for him. He shook his head, "Go and help Cataclysm." He tried not to let her know what he was about to do, but from the worried expression on her face, it was doubtful he succeeded.

Hailstorm landed seconds afterwards, "I take it everything went to plan?" He looked around the area before his gaze landed on the two injured Skywings. "I guess not. What now? That Skywing doesn't look like he could answer questions."

Winter began dragging the bigger Skywing away from Cataclysm before motioning for Hailstorm to come help. The older Icewing hesitated for a moment before relenting. "Moon got everything we needed."

Hailstorm grunted from the effort it took to move the large dragon, "How exactly?" There was a pause. "She can read minds, can't she?"

Winter nodded, "Yes. If that makes you uncomfortable, you can ask Moon for my wristband. It blocks her ability to read minds." There was a pause as they released the Skywing. The others were a good distance away, and a cluster of trees blocked direct sight. This was far enough.

"Or you could ask her for me. I'm still trying to get used to the idea of you and her…you know…" Winter just looked at his brother with a raised eye ridge. "And why did we drag this Skywing over here exactly? If we're going to kill him, why couldn't we have done it over there?" he asked as he gestured behind him for emphasis.

"First, you never _will_ get used to the idea if you don't at least make an attempt to talk with her. And second, Blaze is squeamish and Moon doesn't like it when a dragon dies near her. She doesn't like the sensation she gets when someone's thoughts just…stop." He shook his head, "I'm just trying to be considerate for my friends. Now do you want to do it, or shall I?"

"I'll do it. You should be with your friends. I'll wait until you get over there before I kill him." Winter nodded in thanks.

Before he left, Winter stopped and looked back at his brother and spoke softly, "Hailstorm?"

His brother looked at him curiously, "Hmm?"

"I know it's hard to accept, but could you at least try? I love Moon, but I don't want my brother to think less of me because of it." Winter had spoken quietly and sincerely. His love for Moon had already caused a fight between him and Flint. He didn't want to fight Hailstorm over the same reason.

Hailstorm looked away in slight shame before nodding almost imperceptibly, "I'll…try…but only because you're my brother." They locked gazes once more as Hailstorm actually smiled before it fell after a moment, "I left you twice when you needed me the most, Winter. I don't want to make that three."

Winter looked to the ground with a smile on his face. He nodded to himself before looking up, "Thanks, Hailstorm." He received a nod in return, and Winter took that following silence as his cue to leave. He reentered the area where the three girls were.

Moon looked at him askance and Winter sighed. He was already regretting giving her the cold shoulder earlier. When she looked at him like that, it usually meant an argument later. Cataclysm's wing had been fixed, but there was nothing they could do about her leg except give it time to heal.

Cliff was doing his best to keep quiet and out of the way, so he was with Blaze to the side trying to calm the worried Sandwing down. Their eyes met for a moment, and Winter swore he saw a mixture of both fear and respect in the prince's gaze.

He made his way over to Moon and whispered, "You might want to grab ahold of that bracelet for a minute." She nodded in defeat before doing as suggested. Winter placed his paws over her ears. About twenty seconds later, he heard the tearing of flesh and the sound of the Skywing choking on his own blood. Fifteen seconds later, it ceased.

Winter kept his paws over Moon's ears for another ten seconds just to be sure before releasing them. He saw her replace the wristband in her bag, but she still shivered. "I hate touching that thing," she said quietly.

Winter nodded. If he had her powers, too, he would probably hate having them blocked as well. A quiet mind for Winter was normal, but there was no doubt that for Moon a quiet mind was lonely.

He wondered if Darkstalker ever missed his powers.

A weird thought, yes, but apt. Did Turtle want to use his powers more but was too afraid of the consequences? Maybe it was different for animus dragons…

This line of thought is irrelevant.

He turned his attention over to Cliff, "When that Skywing fails to report back, we won't be able to return to the city. Do you know of any place we could lay low?" Cliff thought for a second before another voice interrupted them.

"What about my place?" The others turned to see that it was Hailstorm who had spoken. "It's outside of the city. We should be safe there."

Winter was confused. Hailstorm's place was big enough to house six dragons? When he went over and gave his older brother the wristband, he asked, "You have enough room for all of us?" His brother just smirked before motioning for them to follow.

Cliff had volunteered to carry Cataclysm, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Winter wasn't about to argue. Cataclysm had said that she was Cliff's bodyguard. Was it possible Cliff saw her as more than that? It didn't matter to him. He was just curious.

They followed Hailstorm when he began flying back towards the mountains. Where was this place at exactly? They flew for almost an hour across the mountain range until their destination came into view.

Winter's jaw dropped at the sight.

Nestled between several small peaks was a moderately sized mountain plateau. That wasn't what caught them all by surprise, though. A large mansion with Skywing-style architecture stood proudly next to a large mountain lake with a waterfall coming from the higher parts of the range. A well-tended garden was located on one of the banks with several different colorful flowers. It took a second before Winter realized the flowers had been planted in the shape of Pyrrhia. Different colors of flowers designated the different geographical locations.

Yellow flowers made up the desert and the islands in the Bay of a Thousand Scales, white flowers made up the tundra and mountain ranges, green flowers made up the forests, and blue flowers made up the rivers and the Bay itself.

It was absolutely breathtaking.

The mansion itself was quite a sight, too. When they landed, Winter estimated the building to be roughly the same size as something second circle nobles would often live in.

So in other words, it was big.

The building itself was made out of a marvelous white marble with red granite highlights. Large windows could be found at regular intervals, letting in tremendous amounts of natural light. The door was made out of a beautiful piece of cedar wood from the swamps far to the south.

When he looked at the differing reactions of the others he received many different looks. Blaze looked delighted to be staying in something that looked almost like a palace. Moon was staring at the sights with wonderment. Cliff seemed surprised and a little impressed at the lodgings before them, but he also had some other emotion in his eyes that Winter couldn't decipher. Hailstorm was looking at him smugly, and he couldn't help but ask, "How much of Mother's treasures did you take to afford this!?"

"Enough to afford this and still be able to have some left over," was his brother's smart reply. "There's rooms enough for all of us to have our own."

"Finally!" Blaze yelled in excitement. "I can finally get some sleep without having to listen to Cataclysm's snoring!"

Winter saw a small smile form on Cliff's face as he began to walk towards the house with a look akin to…reverence? Was that the right word?

Hailstorm saw this and a disapproving frown formed on his face but he yelled out, "The large bedroom is mine, but you can put her in any other one you want." Cliff didn't answer as he pushed the door open, and Blaze quickly followed his lead. "Oh sure, invite yourself in like you own the place, why don't you?" he grumbled.

"His family used to," Moon put in. Both Winter and Hailstorm looked over at her in confusion. "This place was built by the Skywing royal family over a thousand years ago as a vacation palace. Ruby gave up the claim to this place when she killed Scarlet for the Throne. Since Scarlet rarely visited this place, Cliff was raised here by his father until she found out and had him killed in her arena before he was even a year old. After that, Ruby began raising him herself in the palace." She paused for a long while before adding quietly, "This place means a lot to him."

"It is scary how easily you can just learn things like that from other dragons' thoughts," The three of them were quiet after Hailstorm said that. When Winter looked over at his brother, he seemed a little guilty. He quickly composed himself, though. "Come on. Let me show you to your rooms…or room," he added somewhat awkwardly.

Winter and Moon followed the older Icewing's lead as they entered the massive mansion. The interior walls had a light grey marble veneering while the flooring was covered in beautiful oak wood. Red furniture decorated the room and a stone fireplace sat on the other side of the room. A grand staircase led up to the second story where all of the bedrooms were.

Winter had to admit to himself that for a vacation palace built by the Skywing royal family, it didn't feel like it. It felt modest and somewhat sparse.

He kind of liked it.

He could see why Hailstorm was drawn to this place. He just had one question, "How did you find this place?" Moon had gone over to the library that was around the corner, but he wasn't worried about her right now. For the first time in a long time, even without Aurora's presence, he felt safe here.

His brother looked around the room, "It is quite nice, isn't it?" His gaze drifted back to his brother, "I was originally planning on buying a nice place in the city until the Skywing who had been showing me around mentioned this place. When I realized mother had been generous enough to 'give' me enough treasures to buy it," he said this as a joke, and Winter couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable by it. Hailstorm either didn't notice or didn't care, though, since he merely continued, "I decided to go through with it."

"What I didn't expect, though," he continued, "was for the Queen herself to take interest. She asked me who I was and why I wanted to buy it. In the end, I think she was convinced by my answers, so she let me have it for half price. She invites me over to the palace for the different festivals and celebrations, and she sent a messenger to me when you were arrested."

Winter just looked at him, impressed, "The Skywing Queen invites you over for parties?"

Hailstorm replied nonchalantly, "I _am_ still an Icewing prince, Winter." Winter's mood immediately darkened at that simple statement, and he started walking up the stairs before Hailstorm realized the full magnitude of what he just said. "Hey! You know I didn't mean it like that, Winter!"

Winter just ignored him as he made it to the second floor and turned right. The large bedroom Hailstorm mentioned previously was to the immediate left of the stairs, so there was no point in going that way. A few of the doors were already shut, so he entered the farthest room down the hall. It was rather small…and occupied.

Cliff looked up from a scroll slightly confused when his door opened, "Um…yes?"

Winter blinked a few times before he regained his composure, "Sorry. I saw the door was ajar, so I thought it was vacant." A pause. "What are you reading, if I may ask?" Cliff looked away and didn't answer. He seemed sullen. Winter realized that this probably wasn't the best time to talk with him. There was no telling what kind of memories this place held for him. "I'll…see myself out."

Cliff didn't protest.

He gently closed the door on his way out and turned to find a new room. He found one around halfway down the hall that was also slightly ajar. This time, however, he knocked. He received no answer, but when he opened it, Cataclysm's still unconscious body was lying on her good side on the bed.

He hadn't really checked on her much since the original incident, so he decided to make sure she was alright. When he walked inside, he sat down by the side of her bed and placed a paw on her forehead. At the very least, she wasn't burning up. It was hard to tell if she was warmer than usual due to his naturally cold scales, though.

Watching her breaths come and go, Winter was suddenly reminded of another friend who had been hurt. He closed his eyes and the memory of Flint lying on his side as his life slowly ebbed away flashed before his eyes. He knew Cataclysm's life wasn't in danger, but he hated seeing his friends get hurt. Doubt began plaguing his mind. _Am I doing the right thing? Do I really have the right to ask them to put their lives in danger? I'm no hero._

_ I'm sorry you got hurt, Cataclysm. I never wanted any of this to happen. _ He sighed. _I would give my life for every one of my friends. Somehow, it just makes it harder to see any of them get hurt._

"That was…touching, Winter," he looked up to see Blaze standing there with some water for when Cataclysm woke up. She was smiling at him with a look of genuine care.

Winter blinked, "Did I say all of that out loud?" She nodded as she came forward and placed the water on a nearby table.

She sat down next to him, and they watched their friend for a while before the Sandwing broke the silence, "I know you said that I still have a chance, but I'm starting to think Moon beat me."

Winter looked down in shame. He knew what she was talking about. He did say that, but he and Moon had pretty much said they were going to be in a relationship not twelve hours later, "I'm sorry," he whispered. There was a long pause before Winter began blurting things out. He _needed_ to talk with someone right now, and Blaze happened to be in the wrong place…or the right one. "I can honestly say that I hate myself, Blaze. Looking back, I realized how much of a screw up I am. My family disowned me. My tribe hates me. The only dragoness I ever loved chose someone else because I pushed her away."

His voice broke slightly on that last sentence, but still he continued. "When I ran away from Jade Mountain, I didn't have anything—no friends, no home, no tribe, and…no hope. I gave serious thought into…doing the unthinkable." He heard her gasp, and he felt her wrap a wing around him. He welcomed the show of support. A small smile made its way onto his face when the next set of memories came to him, "Then, I met Flint. He saved me. Even when I was a jerk to him, he never gave up on me. He helped me fulfill my dream, and he never asked for anything in return." His smile fell again as he whispered, "I wish I was more like him.

"He was always so much stronger than me. He's been through as much as I have—more probably—but he never let the past drag him down like I did. He's a better dragon than me by far. Actually, he's the best dragon I know." He sighed, "That didn't stop me from sending him to the Sea Kingdom, though, did it? I hate myself because I always push others away. Now, after everything that's happened, I am so ready to be in a relationship—to settle down and start a family. But my life right now is so _fucking_ _complicated_ that I have no idea how or even if I should anymore!

"Any relationship I try to pursue right now is going to put the one I care about in danger. What right do I have to do that to them?" Another sigh, "Sometimes I have no idea why I even bother. I'm just going to die alone anyways."

"Winter!" he looked up when he heard his brother calling his name.

He looked over to Blaze and hugged her when he saw her shocked expression and tears in her eyes. "Thank you for listening, Blaze. I needed to get that off of my chest."

Her reply when he pulled back was to lunge forward and lock him in a passionate kiss. He was surprised that's for sure, but he was more surprised when he found himself returning it. Their kiss only last a few seconds, but they were both panting by the end. Winter smiled at her nervous expression. That's when she blurted it out, "I love you, Winter."

…

He was silent as he stared at her, stunned. _I was _not_ expecting that!_ However, he couldn't find it in himself to shut her out. She had confessed to him after an emotional conversation much the same way he had confessed to Moon the first time. He didn't know what to do in this situation and Hailstorm was still calling for him, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He said, "When Moon finds out about this, we're both dead."

She still looked away, ashamed, and something resonated with Winter. Blaze was just like him eight years ago. She was standing by and watching as the dragon she just confessed to love was pursuing a relationship with another dragoness. Moon had another dragon out there waiting for her, though. If Qibli, her fiancé, was still alive…

Maybe it was time to let go of the past—let go of Moon. _I was wrong before. NOW my life is complicated._ He didn't know what to do or what to believe anymore, but after he had made that connection, he made a split-second decision. Winter grabbed Blaze's face with both paws and locked her in another, more heated kiss. This one lasted a bit longer than their previous kiss, and Winter leaned his forehead on hers when they broke. Their heavy breathing broke the silence as they smiled at each other. That strange but wonderful sensation between his cold and her warm scales sent shivers of pleasure down his spine.

He realized that Hailstorm had stopped yelling out his name, so his gaze drifted to the door. What he saw made him freeze as his gut clenched with guilt. His brother was standing there with an unbelieving expression…and Moon was right behind him.

She was absolutely_ livid._

They stared at each other for a long moment—her anger meeting his discomfort—before Winter spoke to Blaze without breaking eye contact with Moon, "Why don't you stay here and watch Cataclysm while Moon and I go have a talk."

Blaze nodded with an equally guilty expression, and Winter couldn't help but feel bad for her as he walked out of the room. Hailstorm pinned him with a disapproving glare. _He looks so much like father._ He hung his head slightly as he walked out of the room, Moon's glare never leaving him. Winter found the closest empty room, entered it, and sat awaiting his judgement.

When he saw Moon's head turn back towards Blaze, he decided to intervene before someone said something that they would regret later, "Your problem is with me, Moon, not with her." Her glare whipped over to him again as her anger seemed to deepen. _I guess that worked,_ he thought wryly.

Despite being unbelievably angry right now, when Moon walked into the room, she didn't slam the door. She was showing remarkable self-restraint. _Maybe this won't be—_"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!?"

…_so bad. Never mind._ "Listen, Moon, I know you're upset—"

"UPSET!? You gave me your word! You said you would never do that! I trusted you!" Winter was silent for a long time after she said that. She was still fuming at him, and his own anger was starting to rise. This wasn't that big of a deal! He kissed Blaze, so what!? There was no reason for her to be like this.

"Trust…" he whispered since he was trying not to raise his voice, "…goes both ways, Moon. At least I haven't been keeping secrets."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "What are you talking about? I haven't kept anything from you, Winter!"

He growled lowly. It was getting difficult not to yell, but he was trying his best. What came out was a slightly more aggressive tone than normal, "You never told me that you and Qibli were going to be married!"

She flinched back and looked away in shame. Her anger had all but dissipated when she whispered, "Who told you? Was it Blaze?"

He shook his head before sighing. This wasn't going very well, "No, it wasn't Blaze. Or Darkstalker. Or Turtle. Or Kinkajou. I had to find out from one of Queen Ruby's advisors when he was accusing me of murder." He paused but continued when she didn't answer, "If he's alive and we find him, we would technically be having an affair, Moon."

"I know," she choked out. He looked at her more closely and realized that she was struggling to hold back tears. "But I thought he was dead!"

"There's a chance that he's not, though," he said gently. He was tired of fighting with her. He just wanted to be happy, but he wanted her to be happy, too. "Back in the forest, what did you mean when you said we would 'make it official'?"

She looked up at him as her guilt was flowing down her cheeks. She looked surprised, "I thought you knew?"

He shook his head, confused, "Knew what?"

She was quiet for a while before she moved forward and nuzzled under his jaw. He was surprised at the sudden twist. Wasn't she angry at him a few minutes ago? After a little while she stopped and just rested her head under his. When she spoke, it was in a small whisper, "I was asking you to marry me, Winter…We're engaged."

**AN: I hope everyone was satisfied with this. I know I made up a few things about Cliff's history, so how realistic do you think I was with that? What did you think about what Moon said here at the end? What will Winter's reaction in the next chapter be? Will his life ever not be complicated?**

**You'll just have to stick around til next time.**

**Speaking of which, I strongly urge all of you to vote on that poll. I'll close it around the end of October. Once we get to that point, the answer will be locked in, and Winter's future ascertained.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	16. Chapter 15

Dragons Change

**AN: When was the last time I pumped out a chapter in less than a week? Chapter 3 or 4? I surprised myself with how fast this came out despite all of the homework I've been swamped with. I just really liked this chapter. In fact, I think it's my favorite one so far.**

**A couple of announcements before I get into the Chapter. I deleted the poll, and I plan on making another one in 48 hours. That's Sunday night for those of you who live in the US. It's the same question, but I'm deleting the old one for two reasons. One, this chapter shakes things up A LOT, so think of it as the 'Are you sure?' poll. And second, I'm adding a fourth option to the poll. Once you read this chapter, you'll understand who.**

**By the way, I apologize if that character is too out of character.**

**An no one is allowed to yell at me for anything that happens in this chapter. I realize that it's quite controversial, but I have a plan for everything. I'll explain a few things in more detail at the bottom.**

**Our two main characters, Winter and Moon have developed quite a bit since the beginning, so I decided to give them new theme songs. Tell me what you think about them. Do they fit? Do they not fit?**

**For Winter, I felt like 'It's not My Time' by 3 Doors Down fit quite well with the events of the story thus far.**

**For Moon, 'If You're Gone' by Matchbox 20 seemed to go with what happens in this chapter very well.**

**WARNING: I'm officially rating this chapter as M. When you see the bold asterisk, I suggest stopping if you don't want to read it. It's not a lemon, but it's as close as I plan on getting.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs, Flint, Aurora, and the other Spirits on my profile page belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner, BizmuthTheRainwing. Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to their owner Frostbite 15. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart. I think that's everything.**

Chapter 15:

When she said that, Winter actually stumbled back with a disbelieving expression, "E-engaged?" he whispered. _I know that I told myself I liked thinking of her as my future wife, but I didn't think it would happen this soon!_

She nodded, looking hurt when he backed away, "I thought you understood that when you accepted."

"Well, I didn't," he snapped a little bitterly. "I thought you meant that we would announce our relationship to the others! If I knew you were asking me to marry you, I never would have said yes!" Moon's reaction was instantaneous. She stepped back with a gasp as she covered her mouth with a paw and new tears formed in her eyes.

It took him a second before he realized what he had just said. _Shit!_ "No…Moon, I didn't mean it like that," he tried comforting her. His head snapped to the side when she slapped him.

"GET OUT!" she yelled at him. He bowed his head sadly before nodding and leaving. He couldn't look her in the eyes anymore. He had hurt her before—said things he didn't mean—but he had never ripped her heart out like that.

He was absolutely disgusted with himself.

Winter had done terrible things in his life but never had he felt so much revulsion for himself. His anger was absolute. Hailstorm and Blaze were waiting downstairs for him, but neither would approach him after seeing him like that.

He burst through the front door and saw that the sun was going down. He heard Moon yelling at the others to stop him. He didn't care. Winter took wing into the evening air and didn't look back.

The mountains passed by below him and the sun had long since gone down as he kept flying. He was probably almost a hundred miles away from Hailstorm's house when his wings finally gave out from the strain and he crashed onto a nearby peak.

The pain from the fall was mind numbing, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He would never forgive himself for what he said to her. It was just like eight years ago. No matter how many chances he got, he would always end up hurting her.

He knew being in a relationship with her was a bad idea. He _knew_ that he would only end up hurting her, but he still did it for his own selfish reasons. He thought that this time might be different, but he would never be the dragon that she deserved.

When he looked up into the night sky, all of his anger at himself was replaced by guilt, regret, and depression. He finally released his sobs into the night air. He didn't care if anyone heard him. He wanted the world to know of his sadness. He cried until he had exhausted all of his tears, then he laid down to wallow in his own misery.

Physical exhaustion came soon after and the last thing he felt before falling unconscious was a completely different feeling than a few minutes ago and a gentle voice that said, _You're going to be okay, Winter._

He snapped awake and looked around. He was on a bed in a room with marble walls and oak floors. _Hailstorm's house,_ he realized with a jolt. "It was just a dream," he whispered.

"Unfortunately not," a familiar voice stated sadly. He looked over and saw Aurora standing next to his bed, "How do you feel?"

Winter looked away. He was still ticked about her deciding to abandon him, but right now he didn't care. _Did I really say that? Did I really try to run away?_ "I've felt better," he stated miserably as he collapsed back onto the cushions. While the physical pain wasn't all too bad, he still hurt on the inside.

"Love causes us to do things we normally wouldn't, Winter," Aurora said sagely before looking away.

"What about…" he tried to say but trailed off. He couldn't even say her name.

The Spirit looked back at him, "She is angry at you, Winter. She is hurt—and understandably so—by what you said. However, she is also glad that you are okay. They all are." He looked up at her, surprised. _All of them?_ She nodded, "I revealed myself to them in order to help you."

Winter looked at her in wonderment, "W-why would you do that? I thought you—"

He stopped when she placed a claw over his muzzle, "Shh," she whispered as she looked at him with genuine care. "I did it because your life is more important to me than a few old rules, Winter."

He simply scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Why? Because I'm supposed to _save the world?_" he asked, bitterly.

"No," she replied as she gently turned his head to face her. His breath hitched at the amount of concern in her eyes, "Because you're my friend, Winter, and I care about you."

Winter felt ashamed after she said that, so he reached up and pulled her into a hug. It was rather a strange sensation. Though he could feel solid contact, he couldn't really feel _her._ Her scales didn't chill him. He couldn't even feel her breathing. Winter was silent for a moment as he wrestled with his conscience, but he decided to eventually say something to relieve his guilt, "I'm sorry for being angry with you, Aurora."

She pulled back and shook her head, "No, you had every right to be upset with me. I should have been more gentle." He just nodded.

The door opened at that moment and Hailstorm stormed in while shooting a glare at Winter, "If you _ever_ do something like that again, I'll…" he yelled before huffing in exasperation and pulling a startled Winter into a rough embrace. Winter was a little hesitant to hug back, but he did after a moment. "Just don't, alright. I was worried sick about you," the older Icewing whispered.

Winter glanced in Aurora's direction but noticed that she had disappeared again. "I'm sorry…" He felt Hailstorm try to pull away, but Winter didn't let him. After realizing this, the older Icewing just sighed but didn't complain. He just wanted this moment in his brother's arms to last for a little while longer. Though a little colder, it reminded him of Flint's embraces.

Moons, how he missed Flint right now.

Finally, after about two more minutes, Winter let Hailstorm release him and the two brothers walked out of the room together. Cliff was in the hallway supporting a now awake Cataclysm. She looked at him sympathetically but didn't say anything.

He heard someone crying in one of the rooms. Upon asking, Hailstorm said, "Moon said some pretty nasty things to Blaze when you flew off. She hasn't left or let anyone in since. I think she believes that it's her fault." _Poor Blaze, I didn't mean for any of this to happen,_ he thought. _ And Moon can say some pretty ugly things when she's upset._ _I want to help, but I should talk with Moon first._

Hailstorm escorted him downstairs into the library where Moon was organizing the scrolls. If the situation wasn't so serious, he would have joked about how she looked like Starflight. "Moon?" he quietly asked.

She didn't turn to regard him when she sniffed and when she spoke, her voice was full of emotion, "You k-know, I'm starting t-to underst-stand now. Y-you said that you w-were afraid of hurting me." She finally turned to look at him and his breath left him. Her eyes were red and the scales under her eyes were still moist from crying. It was clear by the way her lips trembled that she was struggling not to break down again, "Y-you were r-right."

She turned away from him, and he just stared at her back, hurt, confused, and conflicted. Despite how much her words hurt; he knew that they were true. He had begun having doubts about their relationship. When he kissed Blaze, he had entertained the thought of leaving the past behind him, but the past…_she_…had left him. As if it wasn't obvious enough that their relationship was over, he heard her say one last thing when he turned to leave, "I h-hope that you e-end up happy with Blaze."

He felt Hailstorm wrap an arm around him and pull him away. It wasn't until she was out of sight did his distraught gaze leave her. "Are you okay, Winter?" Hailstorm asked.

Winter's gaze and voice were empty when he replied, "Death would have been preferable to this."

Hailstorm looked at him both appalled and concerned, "You don't mean that, Winter!"

Winter didn't answer.

Several days went by as those living in the house were adjusting to a new reality. Moon never spoke with Winter. In fact, she tried avoiding him whenever possible. She told everything she learned from the Skywing to Cliff who relayed it to Winter. The Icewing, however, was still hurting.

He rarely spoke with Blaze in case this was some sort of test. Maybe if he didn't prove her right, she would give him a chance. Four days after their short conversation, though, and nothing changed.

Cataclysm's leg had been set and she was on the mend. She could walk, albeit slowly, without help unless she wanted to go up or down the stairs. In which case Cliff would always be there to help her.

Hailstorm continued to play host and went into the city every other day for supplies. So far, nothing major had happened in the days since Cliff left, but how long would that last, really?

Aside from Moon and Blaze—the two females whose hearts he had broken—everyone was trying to get Winter back on his feet and into the fight. Hailstorm would remind him of a great Icewing warrior of the past who told his troops to 'stay the course'. Winter replied with a defeated tone, "I have run my course."

Winter had lost his will to fight. He had lost hope. Most importantly, though…

He had lost faith.

Aurora hadn't come to speak with him since he woke up that day nor would she answer his calls to her. He had episodes where he would call out her name in despair and anger. He wouldn't eat. He barely slept.

He thought what happened that night on Jade Mountain hurt, but this… This was so much worse. As he tried to fall asleep on that fifth night, though, only one name came to his mind. He was certain that only one dragon could bring him back from the edge of his depression.

There was no way to contact him, though. Flint was days away from him in another Kingdom with his own group and problems to deal with.

He woke up on the fifth day in a cold sweat as he was beginning to have nightmares. It ended up being like the previous four days. Hailstorm, Cliff, and Cataclysm would try to help him. Moon would avoid him. He would avoid Blaze.

Aurora still wouldn't come.

He spent the majority of that day next to the fireplace staring into the flames. Moon had locked herself in her room. He had tried reaching out to her using his thoughts over the last few days but nothing ever came of it, so he had asked Hailstorm if he could have his armband back. Said armband was now on his right foreleg again just as it used to be during all those years at the Sanctuary.

It was around dinner time when it happened. Hailstorm had been silently keeping him company for the last hour or so when frantic knocking sounded on the front door. Winter didn't lift his empty gaze from the flames as Hailstorm got up to answer the door. The sounds of a storm echoed through from the door.

He hadn't even realized it was raining.

He couldn't hear half of the conversation, but he could hear Hailstorm at the very least, "Who are you?" he asked aggressively. A pause, "Why?" Another pause, "What do you mean 'your brother'? He's my brother."

Winter looked up in slight hope and turned his head so he could see the door better. "Who is it, Hailstorm?"

The older Icewing grunted in aggravation when he tried to close the door but whoever it was wouldn't let him. "It's some delirious Mudwing who thinks he's your brother." Winter's eyes flew open in incredulity. _It can't be! Is it really? _"What do you think you are doing!?" Hailstorm yelled as a familiar greyish-brown arm with rippling muscles was seen pushing him aside.

Winter could see Hailstorm's disbelieving look as he was pushed aside as if he weighed nothing, and a familiar Mudwing walked past him and into the house. The two locked gazes for a split second before Flint rushed over and threw his arms around him. Winter was breathing heavily from the emotional rush of seeing Flint here. "I should never have left your side," Flint's voice rumbled.

"H-How did you know?" Winter asked after a moment.

"A Mudwing and an Icewing came to me in a dream. The Icewing said that you were in danger and you needed me. She told me everything that happened." He paused as he pulled away slightly and looked Winter in the eyes, "I told Turtle that he was in charge when I woke up before taking off. I've been flying almost non-stop for the last five days."

An understanding slowly dawned upon him, "What did she look like? What was her name?"

Flint was about to answer when something behind Winter caught his eye. He did a double-take before answering slightly uncomfortably, "That's her."

Winter turned around to see none other than Aurora standing there, "As I said before, Winter…I-I care." He saw the tears in her eyes as she looked upon him. Her jaw was quivering with pent up emotion when she whispered, "I couldn't bear seeing you like this."

He looked at her in wonderment as her composure was threatening to break, "You brought Flint here for me… Thank you, Aurora. Thank you."

She laughed slightly, "Well, what are friends for?"

Flint pulled back and tossed a small sack over to Hailstorm who caught it. He had been watching the scene with a strange combination of emotions that Winter couldn't decipher. A few dozen coins fell out when he opened it, "What is this for?"

Flint's expression morphed into one of genuine anger when he began marching up the stairs, "It's for a new door."

Hailstorm looked between him, Winter, and the door with confusion, "What is he talking about? The door is perfectly fine."

That's when the sound of a door being broken down followed by Moon's screams echoed down the hall. Both Icewing brothers stared up the stairs in slack-jawed astonishment when Flint came back down the stairs dragging Moon with a single arm. She was clawing at his arms in panic and several large gouges had already been dug into his flesh, but Flint just brushed the pain aside.

When he was in front of Winter, he forced her head up to look the Icewing in the eyes. Winter was just looking at the Mudwing in bafflement. He had never done anything like _this_ before, "Now then," he started. His tone was scolding and demanded her attention and respect. "Winter is going to apologize to you again. You're going to accept it. And then both of you will move on with your lives. There's a city of innocent dragons waiting to be saved, but I had to fly over six hundred miles—leaving behind several other dragons that needed my help—to get all of you off your asses. I am not happy right now, understood?"

Moon nodded with wide, panicked eyes before her gaze drifted over to Winter, "Is this really necessary, Flint?" The Mudwing just narrowed his eyes and gestured for him to start talking. He sighed before looking Moon in the eyes. What was he supposed to say in this situation? "Umm…" he trailed off. Her eyes now had a hard edge to them as she gazed up at him. He had to say something—anything, "I am sorry for what I said, Moon. I was upset and it was careless of me to say that. I would understand if you won't give me another chance. All I ask is that we can still be friends, at least."

The hard edge of Moon's gaze softened ever so slightly as she answered, "Apology…accepted." She looked down as she continued, "What you said to me hurt, Winter. It'll take a while before I can forgive you fully."

"I…understand," he answered. Flint released his hold on her and she wasted no time in walking back up the stairs. She didn't look back. The other three were standing up there watching but moved aside when she walked by.

Hailstorm spoke next, "If you're staying, someone will have to double up since there are only six rooms."

Winter saw the horror in Blaze's eyes, and he smiled to himself. "Uhh…I could, umm, stay with Cataclysm—y-you know if she lets me." All eyes landed on Cliff, including Cataclysm. She raised an eye ridge at him.

"You know, I don't think that's necessary, Prince Cliff. Flint can stay in Winter's room…or Winter could share with Hailstorm." Winter and Hailstorm looked between each other with uncertainty. Both of them were thinking the same thing, no doubt.

"Yeah…Icewing siblings don't really share rooms," Winter said. "Flint can stay with me if he wants." He looked over at the Mudwing who nodded with a smile. "You should probably go clean that off first," Winter gestured to Flint's bloody arm.

"It's not a big deal, but yeah, I will," the Mudwing started towards the door, no doubt heading towards the lake.

"There's a water trough in the kitchens, down that hall," Hailstorm stopped him before Flint went outside. The Mudwing nodded as he changed direction.

Flint stopped next to Winter and whispered, "Aurora told me that you've been avoiding Blaze. You should talk with her. I know you probably think I was joking when I said you should be with her, but I wasn't. Staying with Moon will only hurt you both." Winter looked at the Sandwing on top of the stairs and nodded. He did feel bad about avoiding her. He was skeptical about what Flint said about he and Moon, but then again, it had already happened, hadn't it?

Flint grabbed his shoulder in a firm grasp before walking off down the hallway Hailstorm mentioned. Winter's gaze hadn't left Blaze, and she had finally noticed him staring. She looked away uncomfortably after a moment.

He saw Cliff and Cataclysm turn away and walk back down the hallway. Blaze watched them disappear into the hallway. When Winter started walking up towards her, she locked eyes with him. He climbed up the stairs ever so slowly.

Many different emotions played around in his heart and mind, regret and guilt being the foremost out of a plethora of conflicting feelings. There was something else, though.

When he stopped beside her and continued to stare in her eyes, the memory of what happened five days ago flashed through his mind. After their kiss the other night, something had changed between the two of them. He felt different while looking at her.

It scared him.

What was he supposed to say to her anymore? What were they to each other? Were they just friends? More than friends but less than lovers? He didn't know, but there was no going back. There was no changing the past. All he could do was look to the future. "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, Blaze. I shouldn't have—" he stopped when she hugged him. He blinked in surprise, "You're…not mad?"

He felt her shake her head. "I'm just glad you're okay." She released him and looked down ashamed, "I'm sorry for ruining your relationship with Moon."

He sighed, "You didn't do anything, Blaze. That was my fault. I…said something that I didn't mean, and I don't think she'll ever forgive me for it."

"All right everyone! Get yourselves down here right now!" Winter looked downstairs to see that Flint was the one yelling. "It's time to get off your sorry asses and get some work done!"

Winter smiled. Though it sounded angry, Winter recognized that the tone of voice Flint was using was similar to the one he used to motivate the others at the Sanctuary. Flint had once called it his bigwings voice. "You heard him! Form up downstairs!" Winter yelled out.

He nodded at Flint who smiled back. Blaze followed him down with the other three right behind. Hailstorm was standing to the side. Winter stopped in front of Flint who looked at him curiously, "Everything okay?" he asked.

Winter answered him by throwing his arms around him once more with a smile. Flint was surprised at first but wasted no time to return it, "I'm glad you're back, brother."

"I'm glad to be back…brother," he replied earnestly. "It's good to see all of you!" He smiled at all of them, even though Moon didn't return it. "Now then, what do we know?"

Winter and the others filled Flint in on everything that they knew so far. They knew that Hellstorm and his gang had their hideout in the sewers underneath the city. They also knew of several different exits and entrances. The bad news was that those tunnels were a labyrinth unless you knew where they all lead.

They didn't.

First things first, then. They needed a map or a guide. The map would probably be easier to come by. There was no doubt that there was one in the Palace. "I could find one easily if I could get into the archives," Cliff volunteered.

"How would you do that, though? If you returned now, it would raise all sorts of suspicion," Cataclysm pointed out.

Hailstorm was the one who thought of a solution, "There's a festival going on at the beginning of next week. A courier gave me the invitation yesterday when I entered the city. I'm sure the Queen wouldn't mind if I brought a guest, and it'll be a great chance to pick up some new information," he said while looking at Winter.

"And how would that help?" Cliff asked. "That's a way for you two to enter the palace, but what about me?"

Hailstorm rolled his eyes, "Once we're inside, at least one of us should be able to sneak away from the party and let you in through the palace entrance in the dungeons under the hospital. It's far enough removed from the party but still rather close, and it should be relatively unguarded."

"That makes sense," he acquiesced. "But I would like someone with me to watch my back." He turned and spoke directly to Moon, "Would you come with me? Your ability to sense guards would be a big help."

She thought it over for a minute before glancing at the Icewing brothers for a moment before turning her attention back to the Skywing and nodding. "What about the rest of us, though?" Blaze asked.

Winter looked at Hailstorm for a moment before shifting his attention to Flint. Once his mind was made up, he spoke to the group, "Since Cataclysm is still on the mend, she won't be able to join us." The mentioned Skywing looked a bit ticked at that, but she didn't argue. "Blaze and Flint, you two will stay here with her." He pinned the Mudwing with a serious look, "If everything goes to plan, we should be back by sunrise. If not, assume the worst." Flint nodded after a moment's hesitation.

"Any questions?" the Mudwing looked at all of them.

Hailstorm nodded, "We know where to go afterwards, but how exactly do we sneak away from the party, Winter?"

Winter looked between the others in the group. He didn't think about that problem. Unless…

Apparently, he was a rather charming dragon. Blaze was direct evidence of that, and there was also that Seawing from the jewelry store. If a complete stranger was willing to make a move on him, would others feel the same if he approached them? He smirked as an idea came to mind, "I'm going to seduce one of the guests."

To say that jaws dropped would be an understatement. He looked at Hailstorm first and his smirk fell when he saw disgust in his brother's expression. "Have you no more pride, Winter!? Despite what you may think, you are an Icewing and a Prince! Act like it!"

There was a stony silence following Hailstorm's accusation. Winter looked away, "No, Hailstorm, I won't." He looked at his brother with the most serious expression he could muster, "I don't wish to be something that I hate. You would do well to remember that." Hailstorm merely growled before storming off upstairs and into his room. The sound of a door slamming followed soon after. Winter sighed, "And that's why Icewing siblings don't share rooms," he said to no one in particular.

"Will he…still help us?" Cliff asked.

Winter nodded, "Icewings spend their whole lives following a strict code of conduct. Any time the code is broken has severe consequences not only for the dragon who broke it but his entire family, too. Imagine how hard it has to be to have the most shameful Icewing in history as your brother." There were many sullen and somber looks at his explanation.

Flint was the one who broke the awkward silence, "You're all dismissed. Go get some food or rest or…whatever." There were a few nods or awkward glances here and there, but most of them dispersed to do their own things. Moon went back upstairs to her—his—room. He sighed. _She just stole my room._ Cataclysm and Cliff went to get some food from the kitchen and Blaze followed after giving a last parting look at Winter.

Flint, however, just sat there beside him. He pulled Winter's head into his chest when the Icewing began falling in on himself, "You don't have to listen to him, Winter. You may be a bad Icewing, but you're still the best dragon I know."

Winter sighed and closed his eyes as his muscles relaxed, but his thoughts were still as turbulent as ever, "I really don't belong anywhere, do I?"

Flint pulled his brother in closer and held him tighter, "You belong with me, Winter… And I'll always be here for you," he whispered. "Come on," he said after a moment, "Let's go get you something to eat. You must be starving."

As if on cue, Winter's stomach made its displeasure about not being fed for the past five days known as it growled…loudly. Flint chuckled when Winter pulled away with a blush. Now that he thought about it, he was well and truly famished. He hadn't really paid much attention to it before, but he could see his ribs. _I really need to stop doing this to myself._

After stuffing his face with more food than even Flint could, the two retreated to their—new—room upstairs. Winter looked at the splintered remnants of the door in defeat. At least this room was slightly bigger than his old one…even if it didn't have a door. Winter stepped over the broken pieces of wood and slumped onto the cushion in the back of the room.

At least until said cushion was pulled out from under him by a mischievously smiling Mudwing. Winter ended up rolling onto his side, but he didn't care. He just laid his head down on the floor. If Flint wanted— "What are you doing?" he asked with a blush as the Mudwing laid down next to him and covered him with a wing. They were uncomfortably close in Winter's opinion.

"Acting like a bigwings and sheltering my sib during the night. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Mudwings do this all the time with their sib groups," he replied.

Winter was only marginally comforted by this, but he smirked as he remembered something, "You know if other dragons saw us like this, they might get the wrong impression."

Flint chuckled against him before sighing happily, "Let them think that if they want. Nothing is more important to me than keeping you safe." A warmth blossomed in his chest when Winter heard those words, and though he didn't let the Mudwing see it, a single tear fell from his eye.

In that single tear, was contained all of Winter's love for his brother and his happiness at knowing he had someone who truly cared about him. He fell asleep for the first time in a long while feeling well and truly at peace.

There were four days until the party, and Winter made sure that his frame had been filled out once more. When he wasn't eating his meals, he spent his time exercising with Flint. Hailstorm, for his part, had begrudgingly accepted Winter's…differences. Winter was also no longer avoiding Blaze, and the two spoke to each other as friends.

While Moon wasn't very sociable during these days, Winter brought food up to her room at dawn and at dusk. He would sit outside of her locked door and just talk about what was on his mind. He never spoke of what happened nor did he receive an answer from her, but he spoke, nevertheless. Flint didn't approve of what he was trying to do, but neither did he try to stop him.

By the fourth day, Winter was in great shape once again. His ribs were no longer showing, and his lithe frame was once more at its peak due to the constant exercising. In fact, he was in the best shape he had been in since waking up in the Rainforest. Despite how many injuries he had gained on this journey, only a small number of scars decorated his body. Turtle's healing rock had worked wonders on the rest of them.

In his opinion, these few scars helped to enhance his natural charm. No scars would make others think he didn't fight yet being heavily scarred would cause him to intimidate others. However, a few scars would show that he could fight, but he didn't thrive on it. As he looked at his reflection in the lake outside, he couldn't help but smirk to himself as he turned his head from left to right. _Spirits above, am I a handsome dragon or what?_

"Yes, you are, but it's only a small part of you charm," a voice from behind him said. He turned around in surprise, not only because he thought he was alone, but also because he recognized that voice. He just stared in surprise at the dragoness he hadn't seen in several days. She avoided his gaze when she continued, "I just wanted to wish you luck before you left…and to thank you for talking to me. I've…been thinking about everything."

"Winter!" He looked up to see Hailstorm standing near the front door looking at him. The others were there as well, either preparing to leave or wishing those about to depart their final farewells. "It's time to go. Say your goodbyes…we don't want to be late."

Winter waved a wing in response before looking at Moon once more, "I guess I'll see you later."

She nodded. He turned away and began walking before he heard her say one last thing, "Stay safe, Winter…please."

He looked her in the eye with a small smile, "I will. Don't worry." He walked up to Hailstorm while giving one last wave to Flint and the others. "I'm ready." Hailstorm nodded before taking wing, "Cliff, don't follow us until after dark. We don't want you to be caught again." The Prince nodded before Winter took to the skies and followed Hailstorm towards the Palace.

As invited guests, Hailstorm and Winter were given leave to fly directly to the palace with an escort. They landed outside the front gates just as the sun had gone down where their escort left them to make their own way to the throne room.

The two brothers didn't say a word as they walked through the torchlit halls towards the throne room. There were eight guards outside standing at attention—four on each side of the hall—dressed in battle armor and equipped with spears. Falcon stood next to the doors looking thoroughly bored but straightened himself when they approached. Not an ounce of suspicion or resentment could be seen in his eyes. Maybe Winter was wrong about him. Maybe he was just having a bad day before.

Hailstorm gave him his invitation, and Falcon looked it over before looking over the guest list and scratching out his name, "Prince Hailstorm and guest." The Skywing looked at Winter before saying, "The Queen was worried when you and your friends disappeared, Winter. She thought the worst."

"I'll make sure she knows that nothing bad happened," Winter replied. Falcon merely nodded before motioning for the two guards closest to the doors to let them in. When the doors opened, most of the guests including the Queen herself looked to see who it was.

Winter looked around the massive room and had to admit that the Queen went all out with her parties. Buffet tables lined one side of the room and were stacked with all kinds of food while casks of wine were there for both refreshment and merriment. Torches hung on the walls and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling lit the entire room in a warm light that was only enhanced by the white marble walls.

Most of the guests were Skywings, as he expected, but there were a few dragons from the other tribes. _Emissaries, no doubt._ He estimated there to be at least a hundred dragons in here…and there was still room to spare.

Their first stop was, of course, to introduce themselves to the Queen. She was currently engaged in conversation with a general, by the looks of him. And she looked none too happy with whatever he was saying. When she saw the two of them approach, however, she quickly dismissed him. He left with a grumble._ That was unbelievably disrespectful. He didn't even bow!_

She sighed as she composed herself before smiling at them, "Prince Hailstorm, I'm glad to see that you were able to make it tonight." She looked at Winter after that, "I'm also glad that you received my message about your brother. I was worried when you and your friends left without so much as a goodbye."

Winter bowed in respect along with Hailstorm before he answered, "And I apologize for that. The others decided to return to the Rainforest, and I decided to stay with my brother after my little stay in the dungeons."

"From my understanding, you and your family don't see eye to eye anymore," she pointed out.

Winter looked over at Hailstorm before answering her, "Well, that may be true for the rest of my family, but…Hailstorm was gracious enough to give me another chance." The mentioned Icewing just looked away. Winter just smiled at his reaction, "And I will forever be grateful to him for it." A small smile played at Hailstorm's mouth at that.

"Your family seems important to you," Ruby stated.

"It's the most important thing, isn't it? Family and friends shouldn't be taken for granted. If a dragon can't count on them, who can he count on?" Winter said with conviction.

Ruby nodded, "It seems that we have something in common. What about the rest of your family?"

Hailstorm was becoming disinterested with the conversation now, so Winter turned to him, "You can go mingle if you want. I'll come find you later, if you want?" He gave his brother a pointed look. _Go listen for anything of interest._

Hailstorm, seemingly understanding, bowed to the Queen before replying, "Fine. I guess I'll go…mingle."

Winter smiled at his exasperation, and he heard the Queen herself chuckle. He turned his attention back to her when he answered, "My mother is the only member of my family left alive, and I haven't seen her since my sister's trial and execution. My father died during the Battle of Jade Mountain." Ruby looked a bit downcast and sympathetic, but Winter continued, "I was adopted by a Mudwing, though. His entire troop was killed in the War, and we met in the Rainforest eight years ago after I left Jade Mountain."

She seemed to grow more curious at that, "You were adopted by a Mudwing?" Winter nodded. "I heard that that was a great honor for non-Mudwings."

"It is," he replied with a smile. "Even more so when you consider the fact that his sibs were killed by Icewings."

"And he still adopted you?" she asked, thoroughly interested.

He nodded again, "Flint believes that though I look like an Icewing, I don't act like one."

"It seems to me that he is right. You don't act like most Icewings, Winter," she replied matter-of-factly.

He chuckled before asking, "Is that a good or bad thing?"

She smiled, "A good thing to be sure. I mean no offense to your brother or his tribe, but I've had enough of snooty, arrogant dragons to last a lifetime."

He laughed at that, and she followed suit. A few whispers reached Winter's ears wondering why this Icewing was talking so amicably with their Queen, but he didn't pay them any mind. "That's two things we have in common, now," he smiled. Her expression became a little more somber, and he actually grew concerned in the sudden shift in demeanor, so he decided to ask, "Is everything okay, Your Majesty?"

Her expression was saddened, and Winter actually felt genuine concern for whatever was bothering her, "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to my son, would you? You both disappeared on the same day." Her tone had become more accusing at the end, and he became conflicted.

Yes, he knew where Cliff was, and he felt terrible keeping that information away from his very concerned mother. On the other claw, he couldn't tell her the truth. That's when a devious idea came to mind. He had seen how he looks at Cataclysm, so he decided to take advantage of that, "I believe that maybe he went with Cataclysm to the Rainforest. I saw another Skywing meet with them on their way out."

She sighed heavily at that, "I had a feeling. I'll send a message to Queen Glory and see if she knows anything about their whereabouts." Winter nodded. It would take three days for a courier to fly from here to the Rainforest and back plus the time it took for Glory to read and respond with her own letter. It would give them at least a few days to work with. "Have you ever been in love, Winter?"

_That was personal._ "That's…a complicated question." She tilted her head in confusion until he answered. "I fell in love with a Nightwing when I went to Jade Mountain, but her heart ended up belonging to someone else."

She nodded in understanding, "You mean Moon and Qibli, right?"

Winter nodded and sighed, "Yes. Then, seven years later, we meet again. Qibli was gone, and I fell in love with her all over again. Now, though, I messed up again…"

He trailed off, and she asked the question Winter had been fearing, "How so?"

"I…made out with Blaze," Ruby's expression was priceless. Her eyes were wide open in surprise, and her jaw was slightly agape.

"You…" she trailed off, and he nodded, ashamed. After recomposing herself again, she said, "I heard that Blaze is quite picky when it comes to potential suitors, which is why she has remained single for so long. Who initiated?"

Winter blinked, surprised, "She did."

"Then she must really like you, Winter. You shouldn't disregard her feelings for you," she scolded him.

He chuckled nervously, "Well, you see…I uh…started ignoring her after what happened because I…blamed her for what happened between Moon and I."

"You don't have very good luck with females, do you? You had two dragonesses wanting to be with you, and you screwed up your chances with both," she looked away when the door opened again. Another pair of Skywings came up to them, and Ruby greeted them before sending them away. When some of the others in the room saw this, the whispers became more aggravated. Ruby looked around and sighed, "If Skywings don't have anything to gossip about, they find something to gossip about."

"Well, I've taken up enough of your time, anyways. I'm sure you have other guests to talk with," he said, disappointed.

He made to turn away after a small bow when she spoke, "I haven't dismissed you yet, Winter." He stopped and looked back at her, baffled, "Besides, I'm their Queen. They wouldn't dare slander my name!" she looked around angrily, and a few of the Skywings looked down in shame. She nodded sharply to accentuate her point.

Winter looked around, uncomfortably, before deciding to just go along with it, "If you don't mind my asking, why did you sell your house to Hailstorm…and at half price?"

She saw the mentioned Icewing and glanced at him before replying, "It's not my house anymore, but I suppose I could give you a few reasons. For one, he needed a place to live, and he seemed genuinely interested in it. And second…well…would you like something to eat?" she gestured towards the buffet tables. Very few dragons were over there at this moment.

He nodded, "Something to eat sounds good."

They walked over to the tables where there were less dragons to eavesdrop on them. They each grabbed a plate and began filling it with food. For his part, Winter stuck with an assortment of fish. _I haven't had fish in forever!_ His mouth was watering at this smorgasbord.

Ruby chuckled beside him, "Hungry?"

He smiled bashfully, "It's been a long time since I've had fish."

She smiled, "Well, I hope you enjoy the selection. I spared no expense. To answer your question, though…" She paused and looked around once more before whispering, "A few others had been interested in it, but…I find Icewings to be fascinating dragons. You all have a certain…exoticness about you that I find…attractive."

Winter almost dropped his plate when he heard her say that, and he looked at her in complete bewilderment. _Aurora! I swear if this is someone's idea of a joke…_ The only reply he got was the sound of her laughter. He looked around, and it looked like no one saw or heard what happened.

He looked at Ruby in deep thought for a long moment while she moved away to the wine casks. He could tell that she was blushing, but she was also smiling. He still needed to _seduce_ someone, and Ruby had just indirectly said that he was attractive. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. _I wasn't even trying to seduce her!_

After a few minutes and another conversation between her and someone else, Ruby came back and bowed her head with a crestfallen expression, "Apologies, this has been fun, but I'm afraid you were right before. I should speak with a few of my other guests."

She made to turn away, but he put his plate down and stopped her, "Your Majesty…" She stopped and looked at him curiously. _Here goes nothing! I mean what could go wrong with making the moves on the Skywing Queen…besides being thrown in the dungeons again. *sigh* Cliff is going to kill me. _"Ruby…would you like to continue our conversation later in a more…private setting," he whispered to her, sensually.

When she began looking at him with a strange expression, he began regretting his decision. Especially, when she looked around and whispered, "Winter…I'm the Queen. Did you seriously just ask that?"

"Y-yes," he looked down, embarrassed. _Well at least she didn't order the guards to arrest me…yet. _She stared at him as if weighing his worth before he noticed her move from her spot.

That's when his whole world came crashing down around him as she leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I will be leaving at midnight exactly. You and your brother will leave one hour before that so as to not arouse suspicion. A guest room will be set aside for you underneath mine, and my balcony door will be unlocked…don't keep me waiting." She smiled at him when she pulled back and left to talk with a small group of minor Skywing nobles on the other side of the table.

Winter just picked up his plate and began eating the fish absentmindedly, all the while thinking to himself, _Did that just happen?_ "About time, Winter," he heard Hailstorm say from next to him. "You and the Queen have been talking for too long. I haven't found much of value, and you still need someone to…charm."

Winter shifted his attention from his fish to Hailstorm with a fiendish grin, "I already have." Hailstorm narrowed his eyes before they flew open as realization dawned upon him. Winter placed a talon on his lips, "Shh…Let's go mingle some more. I've got a few hours to kill."

And that's what they did. For those few hours, Winter could finally disregard everything that was expected of an Icewing in public. Though he fully intended on meeting with Ruby in her room later, he still decided to pull out some charm on a few other beautiful guests. As a matter of fact, he had become quite popular with the females by the end of the night. Normally, that would make him uncomfortable, but he needed to let loose—if only for one night.

What happened between him, Moon, and Blaze wasn't pretty, but it at least made one thing clear. He was a bachelor again. He didn't have any females chasing after him anymore, so why not just enjoy himself?

Hailstorm had all but separated from him by the time they left since Winter was behaving like a player, and it made him uncomfortable to see his younger brother acting like that. For his part, Winter hadn't really discovered anything world-shattering like Hailstorm had predicted, but then again, maybe his brother had found something that he hadn't.

It was with great sorrow—for the other females, at least—that Winter and Hailstorm finally left the throne room at Ruby's appointed time. They stopped at the Palace gates, and Winter turned to his brother, "You can head back home if you want. I think I'll stay here tonight."

Hailstorm didn't argue. He simply took wing and flew back towards the mountains. Winter watched him leave for a few minutes until a young servant came up to him, "I am to show you to your room."

Winter nodded and followed him up to the fourth floor before stopping outside of a very familiar room. _This was Blaze and Cataclysm's room when we stayed here._ He stepped inside after the young Skywing bowed and left. The room was lit by some candles left on the table and the moonlight that filtered in through the windows. He sat down as the full magnitude of what he was about to do left him feeling nauseated.

He was about to…_I can't even think about it!_ Maybe they would just talk…yeah, they were just going to talk. _Oh, who am I kidding!?_ A fresh wave of sickness washed over him, and he had to forcefully compose himself. He had an hour. He could go let Moon and Cliff in and just leave Ruby waiting. He had the perfect opportunity…so why wasn't he moving yet?

…

Because he wanted—no. He _needed_ this. He felt dirty and perverted because of it, but if there was one time in his life where he felt he needed to lose himself, it was now. Despite his appearance all night, Winter had barely been holding it together. He was dangerously close to the edge of despair, and he needed to do right by a female—any female—at least once. He needed to believe that he wasn't a hopeless cause because, at the moment, it felt like he was.

If this was the only way to accomplish that goal, so be it.

It was the longest forty five minutes of his life, but Winter waited until twenty minutes after midnight before making the decision that would change his life forever. For good or ill, he didn't know.

With his confidence hanging on by a thread, he went out to the balcony and silently flew up to the one right above him. He gently pulled on the door and found that it was, indeed, unlocked. With one last deep breath, he walked inside.

*****There were no torches or candles lighting the room, only the moonlight, so he was taken off guard when Ruby's voice sounded from the bed. By the way the moonlight shone on her eyes, she was staring at him intently, "I was beginning to think you wouldn't come, Winter."

She got up in one fluid motion and stalked towards him gracefully. Since she was older than him, she was a few heads taller than he was. He smiled at her, "I was just giving you time to get ready." She looked at him with a sudden desire that surprised him, but he stayed his course. He cupped her face in his claws before locking her in a passionate kiss to which she showed no hesitation in returning.

Once they separated, she nuzzled his neck, "I can see why Blaze likes you. You are a _phenomenal_ kisser, Winter."

"Is that so?" he asked flirtatiously as he began pushing her backwards towards the bed. She fell backwards with a delighted squeal as he came forward and straddled her body. He could feel her heartbeat due to their closeness. His claws began rubbing her chest sensually as he came forward and kissed her once more. He could feel himself heating up when he pulled away, and he whispered, "Are you sure about this?"

Despite her clearly vulnerable position, she managed to look somewhat intimidating when she glared at him, "If you stop now, I'll throw you in the dungeons myself."

A fiendish smirk made its way onto his features as he leaned down and pressed himself against her before whispering in her ear, "Whatever My Queen desires."

**AN: Sooo...**

**What happened in this chapter surprised me as much as it did you, I'm sure. I originally intended this to be _very_ different than what it turned out to be. At one point, I almost deleted the entire thing and started over. Once I looked over it and edited a few things, I actually really liked this chapter...and no, it's not just because of the end.**

**Tell me what you thought, though. As I said, no one is allowed to yell at me. Despite what the situation might look like, I have several contingencies in place for the result of the new poll that will come up on Sunday night. I would appreciate if you would take the time to vote again if you already have or to just vote if you haven't yet.**

**The next few things I'll work on is a new bonus scene (If anyone has any suggestions for what to rename that, I'm all ears. I think that title is absolutely horrendous.), then I'll do another two chapters of A Brighter Future Ahead since those are short and easy to write. Then, I'll start the next chapter for this one. I would estimate that it'll be ready by the end of the month.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	17. Chapter 16

Dragons Change

**AN: Alright, well I'm two days early, so I count that as a win. I had writers block for like a week-and-a-half coupled with all of the homework that I've had to do which is why this took so long to come out.**

**Anyways, this chapter has some talking, some ACTION, some more talking, a little more ACTION, and finally a little more talking. That sounds terrible, but let me tell you this...stuff's about to go down.**

**Also, I'm thinking about raising the rating. I feel like I've been skirting the edge for a few chapters, but I think I crossed over said edge with that last one. You tell me. I know people don't like to read M rated stories as much, but I need opinions.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint, Aurora, the other Spirits, and someone new *wink* belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to their owner Frostbite15. The cover art belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 16:

They had spent almost two hours making love to each other, and they were both utterly exhausted by the end of it. Ruby had fallen asleep in his embrace, but he didn't join her in the peaceful land of dreams. Rather, he fought his body's exhaustion for two reasons.

First, he spent the majority of that time thinking. Though he didn't think it would be with Ruby, he believed he did rather well for his first time. He could also honestly say that he probably enjoyed it as much as she did.

He wondered if this would change anything in his future. Having physical relations with a Queen wasn't something to joke about. What they just did was serious. If word reached the wrong ears, Ruby's reputation could be ruined. He might even be executed for such an act.

As terrible as all that sounded, that wasn't what concerned him at the moment. How would his friends react? How would Moon and Blaze react? How would Cliff? After all, Ruby was his mother, and Winter didn't think the Prince would be too delighted to hear about this.

He also wondered why Ruby had accepted his proposition in this first place. Was it lust? Or was it merely a form of stress-relief? If it was, it wasn't working for him yet. He was still unbelievably stressed out right now. He looked down at her face, _She does look kind of peaceful, though. Maybe it's just me._

Second, he still needed to let Cliff and Moon into the palace despite him not wanting to leave—or even move—right now. He had to, though. That was the whole point of this!

There was only maybe another two hours until dawn, so he needed to act fast. With a disappointed scowl and a frustrated sigh, he gently maneuvered himself out of Ruby's grasp.

He stretched a little before walking over to the washroom. It was probably a good idea to clean himself off a bit before walking around the palace. The water was cold, but he didn't mind it. He scrubbed himself clean before walking back out to find that Ruby was awake…albeit barely. In fact, she still looked half asleep when she questioned him, "What's going on, Winter?"

He walked over to her with a soft smile and pet her neck before gently kissing her on the cheek. "Nothing," he purred to her, "Go back to sleep, Ruby." He saw her smile from the gentle rubs before her eyes closed and her breathing evened out once more.

With that, Winter made his way out of Ruby's room through the balcony door, landed on his, entered his room, grabbed his bag, and then entered the hallway on the fourth floor. Technically, he was allowed to wander the halls since he was a guest, but he didn't want to be seen by any of the guards. He wouldn't act suspicious if one saw him, though.

None did, however, and he had to wonder if they were even trying to look for possible intruders. They all seemed blind to what he was doing. No matter, though, it just made his job easier.

He made his way down the stairs and towards the hospital. There were a few wounded Skywings there. Most were asleep, but he saw a light from one of the rooms and heard the sound of soft crying. Curious, he decided to investigate. He peeked through the slightly ajar door and shivered in absolute horror at what he saw.

A young Nightwing, still a dragonet, was laying on her side, facing away from him. He could see the bandages that covered countless lacerations across her body…and the bloody stumps that used to be her wings. _Stars above! What happened to her!?_

He felt as if he couldn't just leave her there all alone. It was probably none of his business, but he wouldn't feel right if he didn't at least try to help. He knocked gently on the door and heard her breathing catch. "Hello? Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice.

He opened the door slowly and received no indignant yells, so he opened it all the way to reveal himself. She seemed scared stiff once she saw him, "W-Who are y-you? W-What do you want with me?" she asked, fearful, as she turned her body to face him better. She cried out in pain when a particular nasty gash stretched too far.

"Hey! Don't hurt yourself!" he held up his talons in a comforting gesture. "My name is Winter. I heard you crying when I was walking by, so I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"W-Why would you c-care? Y-You're an Icewing," she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. He smiled at her, reassuringly.

"I have no qualms with your tribe. I'm friends with a few Nightwings, too," he said, but she still wasn't swayed.

"N-Name one," she ordered, defiantly.

"Deathbringer," was the first name that came to mind. He didn't think that Moon could really be considered a friend anymore at this point.

Her gaze turned from suspicious to curious in the blink of an eye, "Y-You're f-friends with Queen Glory's husband?" Winter nodded and moved a little closer to the bed before he sat down.

She looked away but didn't protest, "What's your name?" he asked her.

She was quiet for a moment before answering, "It's Sh-Shadowdancer…I used to dance every n-night, even when I was younger, and my p-parents thought it was a good fit."

Just like that, Winter felt more at ease now that she was opening up a bit, but he still wanted to know what happened to her. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but if I may ask…What happened to you?"

She was silent for a moment before she once again started to break down and began sobbing, "I—I was at-attacked by a b-bunch of Skyw-w-wings! T-They killed m-my parents, a-and t-their leader d-did _horrible_ things t-to m-me!" she sobbed at the mere thought of what happened to her.

He asked her a question, dreading the answer he would receive, "Was his name Hellstorm?" She nodded as her sobs intensified at the mention of his name.

Winter, however, was reeling with shock. _Is this what they would have done to Moon!? What kind of dragon does this!?_ With great care, he gently pulled her into a hug. She was caught unprepared and unawares at first, but she ended up returning the comforting gesture.

After a few minutes, he felt something wet and sticky against his chest. When he looked, he saw that some of her injuries had reopened. She was hissing in pain, so he backed away. What he saw when he looked upon her wounds made his heart stop.

Through the white bandages, bloody words were forming:

_MOON IS NEXT WINTER_

"By the sun, moons, and stars above…" he whispered. The young Nightwing looked at him in confusion. "When did this happen?" he asked her. _I don't think she knows about this, and I certainly don't want to tell her she was attacked because of me._

She looked at him oddly. His panic-stricken features probably making her uncomfortable, "Y-Yesterday, just after the s-sun had gone down…"

His heart skipped a few beats. _That was when Moon and Cliff entered the city!_ "I-I-I need to go. I'm sorry!" he yelled as he ran out of the room.

Hellstorm had known that he was coming tonight. More than that, he knew what they were planning. How though? How was that possible!? Unless…_Maybe there's another spy._

He didn't even have to think about it before three suspects came to mind: Hailstorm, Cliff, and Cataclysm. They were the only ones that made sense. None of the others would have been responsible—especially not Moon.

Forgetting about stealth, he ran through the hospital and down into the dungeons until he found where he was supposed to meet Moon and Cliff, only to find…

He slowed to a stop as he sighed in relief. _She's okay!_ He unlocked and opened the iron-bar door and they both walked in, looking none to pleased at how long he took to get here. "What took you so long? Dawn is only two hours away, and we—" she was cut off when he pulled her into an embrace. He was breathing heavily and raggedly due to fear, and she seemed to realize that something was wrong, "Winter? What's wrong?"

He pulled away and looked straight into her eyes as he cupped her cheeks in his talons, "You and I are leaving right now, Moon!"

"What about—" she tried, but he interrupted her.

"No! Listen to me!" he took his armband off in emphasis, so she could not only see but hear his fear, "You are not safe here!"

"What happened, Winter? This is unlike you," Cliff asked, worried.

Winter shifted his attention to Cliff, "I can't let her stay here after what I just saw. You have to find the map by yourself, Cliff."

"I'm not going anywhere until you start making sense, Winter," she told him. "I can't hear your thoughts; they're too panicked." She didn't seem angry. Rather, she seemed concerned, "And I agree with Cliff. You usually don't scare easily. Tell us what happened."

Winter looked around uncertainly, scanning for possible threats, "It…would be easier to show you."

They walked back the way Winter had come, towards the hospital. Every moment he spent walking through these halls and not flying away as fast as his wings would allow with Moon right beside him was complete terror for him. They were right; he didn't scare easily.

Seeing what happened to that Nightwing and the possible meaning behind it had him terrified, though. Arguments aside, he couldn't stand to see that happen to her. It would destroy him.

They walked silently through the dimly lit dungeons and back up into the hospital. Shadowdancer's light was still on, so he knocked on the wall to get her attention. She snapped her attention back to the door and frowned, "Oh…Y-You brought f-friends?"

Winter was about to respond to let her understand that they could help, but Moon beat him to it. She did a good job of hiding it, but he could tell that she was upset at what she was seeing, "We can help. That's why Winter came and got us."

She didn't look too convinced…until Cliff came out of the shadows, "P-Prince C-Cliff," she said in surprise, "I t-thought you were m-missing?"

He smiled gently as he walked forward and sat down next to her, "Not hardly. I just conscripted some outside help. They've been helping me track down the dragons that did this to you. I promise you…we will find them."

She looked down as she became emotional once again. She was trying not to cry in front of the Prince. Cliff brought her into a gentle hug. Winter heard Moon gasp as the sight of her wounds and the message was once more revealed, "Three moons…" she whispered, fearfully. He saw her look away with her eyes closed.

Winter guided her outside so Shadowdancer didn't have to see their reactions. He stretched out a wing as if to place it over her but hesitated. He didn't think he was allowed to use such an intimate gesture such as that anymore. Instead, he placed a comforting paw on her shoulder. He could feel her shaking before she shied away.

_She's trying to hide her feelings from me…Will she ever trust me again? _"You're right, Winter. I'm sorry," she said slightly ashamed.

He was surprised that she could hear him until he realized that he hadn't actually put his bracelet back on. _I must have put it in my bag without realizing it._ "Don't be. I don't deserve your forgiveness, Moon."

She didn't argue.

"Listen to me, though," he urged. She looked at him again, "I know that things between us are iffy at best, but I will still do everything in my power to protect you from the likes of Hellstorm. I'll kill him before he ever lays a talon on you," he said with conviction.

She looked at him warily but didn't try to dissuade him from anything. "Just remember who you are, Winter. You're not a killer…you never were."

He looked away at that, "Tell that to the dozens of dragons that I've killed—both Changewings…and Nightwings." He looked at her confused expression and shook his head. She didn't remember, apparently. "The Battle of Jade Mountain, remember? I took part in that fight. I killed my fair share of Nightwings that day."

She blinked in surprise before her expression turned to anger, "You said you never killed anyone when you returned to school!"

He snorted, "Yeah, well, I lied. I can't very well tell the dragoness that I had a crush on that I killed members of her tribe, now can I?"

She looked at him askance, "Since when are you this blunt? I don't like it."

He just looked at her, dubiously. _That's what she's concerned about? Me being blunt?_ He just shrugged as Cliff walked back out, "Maybe I'm starting to turn into who I'm supposed to be."

Moon narrowed her eyes, "If that means you're turning into an Icewing, stop. That's not who you are. I bet Flint would agree with me, too."

He looked away again—this time in shame. _She's right._ He didn't answer her directly, though. Instead, he merely said, "We can talk about this later. I'm getting you out of the city."

Moon looked over at Cliff who nodded, "I saw the message. You should go…I can handle this by myself. It shouldn't take me more than an hour, anyway."

Winter nodded to him in thanks before he led Moon out of the hospital. He decided to exit through the front door. If Moon was in danger, it was best to stay in the most heavily guarded or public areas. Hellstorm's reach would have gotten long indeed if he thought he could get them in the palace.

The few guards they passed didn't so much as give them a second glance. There were a few others up at this time as well, so them walking around the palace wasn't as suspicious. Maybe they could get an escort out of the city?

No, that would take too long, and he had no idea if the guard assigned to escort them would be trustworthy or not. The best thing to do would be to break the no-fly law and just take wing once they were outside.

At least, that was the plan until the warning bell started sounding. He and Moon looked at each other, worried before they speed walked into the castle proper. "What's going on, Winter?"

"I don't know, Moon, but we shouldn't stick around to find out." Guards were running through the halls towards the throne room as the bell echoed across the entire city. "Why would they sound the warning bell? I doubt anyone would attack the city," he thought aloud to himself.

Aurora appeared beside him as he and Moon made their way through the halls. He looked at her questioningly, "Winter, you need to get out of the city, right now! It's you they are looking for," she sounded extremely worried about something.

"Me?" he questioned. "Why would they be looking for me?"

"Why do you think!?" she all but screamed at him. "Neither I nor Shadeslayer thought this turn of events would happen. If you value your life and mine, you will run!"

"Yours?" he asked confused. She sounded genuinely terrified about something. Whatever it was, if it had Aurora this scared, he didn't want to meet whoever or whatever it was.

At that moment, Skywing guards rounded the corner. When they saw him, they charged with spears raised. They didn't plan on taking him alive, apparently. They had orders to kill on sight. "What do we do, Winter?" Moon asked from beside him.

In a blink of an eye, the floor had turned to ice and the guards fell in a heap with surprised yelps. At the same time, he saw and felt Aurora JUMP INTO him. _Is that where she's been this whole time?_ That was kind of weird.

"RUN!" she yelled. Even though she was in his body, he could still hear her speaking aloud. "Run as far and as fast as you can! If you don't leave NOW, we WILL die!"

He didn't need any more motivation than that, "RUN, MOON!" he yelled as he began sprinting down the closest hallway. He could hear her right behind him and the shouts and clinking armor of the guards echoing throughout the halls.

They reached the front door—which in hindsight probably wasn't a good idea—where a full squadron of guards were waiting. The two skidded to a stop as guards arrived from the adjoining hallways with spears raised and menacing snarls on their faces.

They were trapped.

He was about to respond when he heard heavy clawsteps echoing from the hallway to their right. His breath actually hitched when waves of Aurora's fear began washing through him.

The guards parted as a handsome looking Skywing made his way to the front. He was smiling at them, but his eyes revealed the true maliciousness behind it. He was larger than most Skywings but not exponentially so. "Finally," he began in a smooth voice. "I find the answer to all the riddles. We've searched and searched for the key, and yet it was right here this whole time." There was a pause as he glanced at Moon, "Send the Nightwing to Hellstorm and give him my regards."

Winter growled, "Touch her and your dead!"

The Skywing just laughed at him, "HAHAHAHA, I am so far beyond your understanding, Winter." He raised one of his claws as a dark purple aura surrounded it. When he pointed it at Winter, he felt his heart stop for a moment before it started up again.

It was beginning to get hard to breathe. Aurora was fighting to keep his heart going, but it felt as if she was struggling to do so. His legs buckled from underneath him and he vaguely heard Moon shout to him in concern.

All at once, excruciating pain shot through his entire body and he cried out. "She's tenacious, isn't she?" he heard the Skywing say with a hint of frustration. "My master requires your Spirit. The process of her removal will kill you, but I don't need you, after all."

His vision blacked out for a moment before he heard a whisper in his mind. It had the accent of a Sandwing, and it was undoubtedly male. _We will come to you in your time of need. Don't worry, even Faredir can't face all seven of the Spirits at once._

His vision cleared after what felt like an eternity and the pain stopped along with the ringing in his ears. His head lifted, and he saw a concerned Nightwing standing above him. The silver teardrop scales indicated that he was a mind-reader. "Are you okay, Aurora?" he asked.

Winter furrowed his brow. _I'm not Aurora. I— _He was cut off when his mouth opened to speak on its own volition…and Aurora's voice answered, "I'm—I'm okay. I don't think I—or Winter could have lasted much longer…He's grown stronger, Shade."

The Nightwing nodded somberly, "Yes, he has." He looked around the room, and Winter's body did the same. The room was mess. Skywing and Changewing bodies were everywhere. Moon was unconscious on the floor. "Arena, Sediment, and Oceania were all wounded during the fight."

All of a sudden, his body moved forward to nuzzle the Nightwing—to which the Nightwing returned it without hesitation. Aurora smiled before sighing, "Thank you for saving me, but the situation is worse than we feared. We may have been victorious, but if Faredir is strong enough to injure three Spirits while fending off four more, I don't even want to imagine how strong—" She stopped and whispered, "He's awake…"

After she said that, his vision once more dimmed and he fell unconscious.

He woke up later on a bed in a large room. _How did I get here? What happened? _Upon looking around, he realized that he was in Hailstorm's house again. The room was massive, though. _Is this Hailstorm's room?_

Almost on cue, his brother walked in to check on him. When he saw that Winter was awake, he stopped. He looked really uncomfortable, "May I ask who I am speaking to?"

Winter blinked, uncomprehending. _What is he talking about? _"What are you talking about, Hailstorm?" he asked in confusion.

Hailstorm was quiet for a moment before asking his own question, "I take it that means you don't remember?" At Winter's confused expression, he continued, "You were—"

"I think it would be best if he heard it from me," Aurora appeared in the room and interrupted him. Hailstorm watched her warily for a minute before walking out and shutting the door. The Spirit walked over beside his bed and smiled sadly at him, "How are you feeling?"

"Confused," was his reply.

She laughed at that, "Oh, yes, I believe you would be. I…erased the memories of what happened today." She sighed at his slightly angered expression, "Trust me, it's better that you forget. Your body was on the verge of shutting down, so I did the only thing I could think of at the time…I possessed your body in order to save your life." She let out a deep breath, "Do remember anything—I mean _anything_?"

He was quiet for a moment while he thought back, "I remember seeing Shadowdancer and the message Hellstorm left me. I remember running through the palace with Moon. I—you were scared." He looked at her dejected expression.

"I guess it didn't work as well as I thought. My power must still need time to recover. Anything else?" She bowed her head and closed her eyes. It was almost like she didn't want to hear what he had to say. _Is she still afraid?_ She glanced back up at him, "No, Winter, I'm not afraid…I'm terrified," she said in defeat.

"I remember thinking that there was another spy watching us. It would be the only reason why Hellstorm knew I was there."

"Not the only reason. Hailstorm, Cliff, and Cataclysm are not spies, Winter. One of the dragons under Hellstorm's command saw you enter the city with your brother and reported the sighting. We are safe for now. Anything else?" she asked.

He looked at her in deep thought as he tried to think of anything else. Then, memories of a large Skywing surfaced…and a name. "Faredir," he whispered. He saw Aurora look up at him in sheer panic.

"You weren't supposed to remember that!" she looked away, cursing. At first, he thought she was cursing the fact the he remember something that he shouldn't have. When he listened, though, she was cursing herself. He couldn't make out many words, and frankly, he didn't really want to.

_This might be a bad time, but,_ "Who is he?" he asked her. She stopped beating herself up in order to look over at him.

She was quiet as she turned her gaze away from him, "I would say that it would be best that you didn't know the truth, but since you may have to contend with him again… He is…" she hesitated for a moment, "He is a demigod, for lack of a better word—the son of a mortal and a Spirit. Unfortunately, he's also immortal."

"What Spirit?" he asked, "He looked like a Skywing…" he trailed off, but Aurora seemed to understand what he was trying to say.

"He's not a Skywing, Winter. He is the most powerful Changewing alive. He doesn't need a victim to copy their appearance; he can make his own. And as far as I know, he has a persona for each of the seven tribes." Winter shivered unconsciously at that. It almost sounded like Chameleon…but much worse.

"So what happens now? I can't contend with that kind of power." He looked over at her to see that she had a determined expression on her face.

"Not yet, you can't." _Not yet?_ "We need the anchor, Winter. Before, I just wanted it to satisfy my own curiosity, but now that Faredir is involved, it is the only way to survive another encounter with him."

He shook his head, "What are you talking about? How would that help?"

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, "He needs a Spirit, Winter. Right now, I am vulnerable and he knows it. He will be looking for you, to get to me. If I am mortal, however…"

She trailed off as Winter finally understood, "Then you become useless to him and his plan." She nodded. "How do we find it?"

She was quiet before she answered in a whisper, "I don't know exactly, but I believe it to be somewhere in eastern Pyrrhia."

"Well…" he started, "Do you think that the Changewings are searching for it, too?"

"Without a doubt," she stated.

"If they are searching for it…Wait, didn't you say it was somewhere in eastern Pyrrhia?" She nodded, so he continued. "The Kingdom of the Sea is about as far east as you can go, and a large part of the deep oceans are unexplored—even by the Seawings."

She nodded, "Yes…that makes sense. Where would we start, though?"

Winter thought for a second before an idea struck him, "Why don't we ask someone?" he asked as he got up. When he felt how weak his body felt, he decided to take it slow. Aurora was also helping him.

When they left the room, he looked downstairs and saw everybody waiting around in the living room. He tried walking down the stairs with Aurora's help, but he stumbled, nevertheless. When everybody heard him fall and catch himself on the railing, they all looked up at him.

Hailstorm and Flint both ran up to help him while the others looked on with varying degrees of concern. "Thanks," he told the two of them as they helped him down the stairs.

Flint led him over to the large cushion where he had been sitting. Winter laid down with a deep sigh as Flint sat on the ground next to him. Winter looked at the others before switching his gaze to Aurora. "Flint, did you ever find out what the Changewings were doing in the Sea Kingdom?"

He looked kind of confused with the sudden question, but he shook his head, "No, I was only there for a few days before I left to come here. Why?"

Winter sighed, expecting as much, "It's nothing, I guess."

Aurora had been sitting quietly on his other side until now, "No, it's not nothing. In fact, it is a matter of life and death for both Winter and I." She looked at the others with a determined expression, but Winter could _feel_ how scared she really was. Something had happened to deepen their connection.

That, in turn, made him think about a few things as the others continued to talk amongst each other._ At first, I could only see her. Then, I could hear her thoughts. Now…I can feel her emotions? Just how deep will our bond become?_

_That depends on how deep you _want_ it to go, Winter, _he heard Aurora, but she was still talking with the group. He looked over at her in deep thought until she actually turned to look at him. She smiled when she did. "You know it's considered rude to stare?" she joked.

He looked away slightly flustered as Hailstorm continued the discussion, "So you think this 'anchor' is somewhere in the Sea Kingdom?"

Aurora nodded as Moon said, absently, "A dreamvisitor would be useful right about now."

Flint perked up all of a sudden before running up the stairs while everyone—Winter included—watched him run off in confusion. Winter looked at Moon questioningly since Flint had taken off once she spoke, but she shrugged, equally confused. Flint ran back down with a sheepish expression before Winter's gaze dropped to the item in his grasp.

He blinked several times before realization dawned upon him. "You…have a dreamvisitor?" Flint nodded. "And you never told anyone?"

Flint blushed, embarrassed, "I…forgot. Sorry." He gave it to Winter as the Icewing stared at the glowing sapphire in wonderment.

"Where did you get it?" Moon asked, curious.

"Queen Glory gave it to Kinkajou so they could keep in contact, but when I told them about leaving to find you, she gave it to me. She wanted you to have it. With everything that's happened since getting here, it just slipped my mind," Flint responded.

"Why me?" Winter asked in confusion.

Flint smiled at him as Hailstorm spoke, "You always have the plans, Winter. Even if you don't believe it, you are their leader."

"Winter's not just our leader, Hailstorm," Blaze said.

"That's right…He's our friend, too," Cataclysm said.

"And he's our brother," Flint said with another smile.

There was a long pause until someone else spoke, "And despite his flaws, we would trust him with our lives." Winter's face was one of pure bewilderment as he looked at Moon. She looked away with a huff, "That doesn't mean I've forgiven you yet, so don't go getting any funny ideas!"

Instead of being saddened by her declaration, he just nodded with a small smile. He would take any kind of progress between the two of them. Winter yawned heavily all of a sudden. _I didn't realize how tired I was!_

Thankfully, it was already starting to get dark out, which meant he had been out cold for most of the day. However, it gave him the perfect opportunity to use the dreamvisitor. With Flint's help, he was returned to the bed in Hailstorm's room. He had to ask, though, "Where will Hailstorm sleep if I'm in his room?" Flint had shrugged after a moment, wished Winter a good night's rest, and left the room.

Winter relaxed into the padded mattress with the dreamvisitor in his claws. He didn't know exactly how these things worked, but he knew that you had to think of the dragon you wanted to dreamvisit. If they were asleep, you would succeed. If they weren't, nothing happened. Hoping that Turtle had gone to sleep early, he thought of his Seawing friend with the glowing sapphire in his grasp before falling asleep…

He woke up a few minutes later. Nothing had happened._ Figures…_

_Don't give up yet, Winter,_ Aurora's voice sounded to him. _Try someone else._

He thought of Kinkajou, laid down, fell asleep…and woke up a short time later. He groaned when he realized he only had one dragon left to try. Without any other option other than waiting a few hours to try again, he thought about Darkstalker and fell asleep.

He woke up in an entirely different place a few minutes later. He was sitting in a cave looking out across the surrounding area. A ledge jutted out from the mountain, and with a start, Winter realized that this was Jade Mountain…just without the Academy.

He walked through the dimly lit cave until he could spot the sun barely peaking out from below the horizon. The outlines of two Nightwings who were once indistinguishable from the blackness of night were now visible to his eyes.

They were embracing each other, and he could hear that one of them was crying, but he couldn't tell who yet. First, he looked at the female. At first he thought it was Moon, but he noticed that whoever she was didn't have the silver teardrop scales. However, the resemblance was uncanny.

Next, he looked at the male, knowing who he was already. Thus, it came as a shock when Winter realized it was _Darkstalker_ who was crying into the shoulder of the female Nightwing.

Winter padded closer but didn't reveal himself yet due to his piqued curiosity. He had only ever seen the smug, arrogant ass Darkstalker always acted like. Was there something more to the ancient Nightwing?

Winter hid in the shadows behind the exit of the cave and listened in. He only caught a handful of words like, "so sorry…all my fault…wish you were here…I love you." Guilt was starting to gnaw at Winter's heart. _I don't feel comfortable with this anymore._

Wrestling with his conscience, Winter finally stepped into the light of the coming dawn. The female—who he assumed was Clearsight—turned her head to see his approach. He saw her stiffen before getting Darkstalker's attention.

The Nightwing lifted his eyes to see her panic-stricken expression before turning around with a confused expression. His confusion quickly flashed through, shock, horror, and outrage, before finally settling with a neutral expression as he turned away from the Icewing.

Winter walked forward a few steps as Darkstalker quickly composed himself by wiping his eyes and taking deep breaths. After a few moments, a growl emanated from the Nightwing. Winter said nothing as he merely sat down a good distance away from the other two.

The landscape began changing as Clearsight began to disappear before his eyes. He looked behind him to see that three blood red moons hung in a starless night sky. Darkstalker was once again massive as he was when he first awoke eight years ago. A snarl played on the Nightwing's lips, but Winter wasn't afraid. He knew Darkstalker couldn't hurt him since this was a dream.

"I believe that dreamvisitor you are using to invade my mind belongs to me,_ Icewing,_" he snarled.

Winter was quiet as he studied Darkstalker. He could see that the ancient Nightwing was good at hiding his true feelings, but Winter was good at unraveling them. He understood that the Nightwing's anger was fueled by an overwhelming sadness. After a few minutes, he finally spoke, "You have my condolences. And I apologize for what I said to you before about Clearsight. I know her love for you was genuine."

The massive Nightwing's anger seemed to deflate after hearing that. He began shrinking once again until he was a few heads taller than Winter himself. The environment returned to the ledge upon Jade Mountain. It seemed as if Darkstalker couldn't look him in the eyes. "Apology accepted," he whispered after a moment. Darkstalker took another deep breath to compose himself once more, "Why are you here?"

"A sit-rep for starters," Winter replied. "What are the Changewings after in the Sea Kingdom?"

Darkstalker laughed humorlessly, "I think we both know the answer to that, Winter. They're looking for your anchor, and they believe Anemone is their key to access it."

"_My_ anchor?" Winter asked.

The Nightwing snorted, "Don't sound so surprised. I delved into the futures before surrendering that power to my vessel. I know that you become the new owner of one of the most powerful artifacts to have ever existed." Seemingly sensing Winter's raised hope, he decided to shatter it, "And no…unfortunately, I don't know where it is or how you obtain it. The Changewings do, though, but I doubt the two love-dragons know the true significance of the enemy's goals. Turtle's been trying to uncover agents using different enchantments. I've tried telling him that it's useless—Changewings are protected from most animus magic meant to reveal their true identities."

"How are they doing, by the way," Winter interrupted.

Darkstalker's eyes darkened, "Turtle has begun having nightmares. And before you ask, for an animus, that's a REALLY bad sign."

Winter looked at him horrified at the implication. _Was Turtle losing his soul?_ "I dragged him into this," he whispered. "This is my fault."

Darkstalker sighed. "Normally, I would belittle you by saying 'Yes, it is', but…you saw something that I've never shown—much less _told_—anyone. I don't really feel like tormenting you right now, so I'll tell you the truth. It's not your fault, it's his. It's his choice to use his power…just like it was mine." He looked away before continuing.

"The little Rainwing has been trying to talk him down, but he isn't listening to anyone anymore. He's too obsessed with saving his sister to care about himself. I don't think it was a good idea for you to send him here."

"Where are they anyway, and why are you asleep so early?" Winter asked.

"Why are you?" Darkstalker shot back, somewhat defensive.

"I almost died," Winter simply stated as if that was a normal thing to talk about.

"Again?" Darkstalker snorted. Winter nodded. "What happened this time?"

"Oh, you know, I had a run-in with some sort of demigod Changewing who needs to extract Aurora's essence for his master for whatever reason…the usual." Instead of the reaction he was expecting, Darkstalker was looking at him grimly.

There was something serious going on that Winter didn't know the full story on, yet Aurora—and Darkstalker apparently—did. After at least five minutes of uncomfortable silence had passed, Darkstalker spoke in a grave tone, "If I were you, I would be running and praying that you aren't found. I know who hunts you, Winter. He isn't someone to take lightly."

"How exactly do you know?" Winter asked, confused. What wasn't he being told?

He hesitated before answering, "…Ask your Spirit for the details. She's a better expert than me. I've merely heard the stories…but Aurora lived them. If that is all you needed, I wish you luck, Winter." He paused before saying one final thing, "You'll need it."

When Winter woke up from his dreamvisit with Darkstalker, it was only about midnight. He was surprised at how fast time had gone by, but now he had the rest of the night left to visit someone else. The best thing to do would be to contact Turtle. He needed to set the Seawing straight else there be another Royal Seawing Massacre. He should be asleep by this time.

However, when he tried to dreamvisit him, Turtle wasn't asleep yet. _What is that Seawing doing?_ He didn't really feel like trying Kinkajou right now. He was too tired to deal with her overexcited mannerisms. _Maybe…_

He placed the dreamvisitor to his head once more and focused on a single name. _Ruby… _

Not only did he want to see her again, but with Faredir's arrival, he was anxious to know if she was alright. After all, what would be the point in saving Cliff if they let the Queen die anyway?

He woke up in the Skywing Palace's throne room and looked around. It seemed a bit darker in here than normal, but every other detail seemed the same other than the empty throne. _Where is she?_ He wondered.

A terrified scream sounded throughout the halls and he started looking around frantically for the source. The echo in this room was skewing the sound and he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

Another scream sounded—this time closer…MUCH closer. He whirled to the right when a door slammed open and Ruby came running in terrified out of her wits. She ran towards him before going straight through him. He flinched at the weird sensation, but he watched the door that she had run through.

When nothing happened for a few seconds, he tilted his head in confusion before he heard another door slam open on the other side of the throne room followed by another scream. He whirled around to see a shadowy dragon whose face was obscured walk through the door.

As he ran over to where Ruby was backing away fearfully, he took in a little more of the shadow dragon's appearance…until all of the lights went out.

He skidded to a stop and looked around before feeling someone bump into him from actually panicked a little at that. _This is supposed to be a dream! How can anyone touch me!?_

The mysterious dragon that he couldn't see yelped, and he realized who it was, "Ruby?" he whispered as he turned around.

There was silence for a few moments before she answered back, "Winter? H-How are you here?"

He shrugged before realizing she couldn't see it, "I don't know. I was dreamvisiting you, but if you were having a nightmare, you shouldn't be able to see me…let alone touch me."

"As I said before, Winter," a familiar voice echoed throughout the room. "I am beyond your understanding." The lights came on as Winter felt strong talons around his neck before he was lifted off of the ground. He was staring straight into Faredir's eyes, and they were dancing with excitement.

He didn't want to even think about why.

"Let him go!" Ruby yelled as she jumped at him.

Faredir looked at her before she froze mid-air, "You've served your purpose, Sky Queen. You may go now." Just like that, Ruby was gone.

He was alone.

He began struggling in the Changewing's grip, but he merely increased the pressure until Winter was choking, "You are so predictable, Winter…just like your namesake." He looked at the Changewing in confusion before he was dropped, unceremoniously, to the ground. "He couldn't save himself, either."

Winter was gasping for breath on the ground when rough claws grabbed him and forced him to look into the Changewing's eyes. "Since this dream world isn't the real world, you will feel the pain inflicted upon you, but your body will remain unharmed. Therefore, I will give you two days to think my ultimatum over before I begin doing…unpleasant things to you. Give up your Spirit willingly, and I will save your life. You and your friends will be spared, and I promise you safety in the new world I help bring about."

He almost sounded caring on that last sentence until he slammed the Icewing's head into the ground, "Refuse, and I will torture your mind every night until you go mad! Then, when you come to me in shambles, I will torture you for real! Finally, I will make you watch as I do the same to everyone you have ever cared about! I will break your mind! Your body! And then I will break your soul! By the end, you will beg me to end your life!"

Faredir hoisted him up one last time with Winter struggling futilely the entire way before he felt his neck snap and blackness surrounded him.

He woke up screaming and covered in sweat. He reached up and felt his neck and released a breath when he realized his neck wasn't broken. The door flung open and a very worried Mudwing was the first to run in, "What happened!?"

Winter just stared emptily ahead. _I've never felt so powerless in my life. How am I to compete with that kind of power? What can I do that seven Spirits can't?_

He didn't expect anyone to answer so he jumped a little when Aurora suddenly did, "You can kill him, Winter. With the anchor, you can kill him." He shifted his gaze over to her.

"How!?" he asked, desperately. "How can one little orb make me strong enough to defeat him!? What chance do I have!? It's hopeless!"

She shook her head as the others watched from the doorway. She grabbed Winter's chin before turning his gaze to look into hers, "No, Winter…There is always hope." She turned to the others, "We can delay no longer! The anchor must be found!"

"That means going to the Sea Kingdom. What about my tribe? My mother!? We can't just abandon them!" Cliff yelled, outraged.

"Calm down, Prince Cliff," Cataclysm tried, but he brushed her off.

"No! I'm not leaving! I will not run away from this fight!" he stormed off before anyone could call him back.

Blaze looked like she was going to follow him, but Hailstorm stopped her, "Let him go. If he wishes to stay, there's nothing we can do."

"Yes, there is," Winter said. All eyes turned to him. "We can save the Queen."

Aurora's fear and disapproval strengthened through their connection, "If we do this, we risk everything. You may not care about what happens to yourself, but I will not let you endanger my life. We are going to the Sea Kingdom to find the anchor. _Everything_ else is secondary."

Winter glared at her as he got up and started walking towards the door, "I wasn't asking your permission." He got about halfway before his body froze mid-step. He looked around, confused, before a surge of anger strong enough to take his breath away flowed through their connection. He looked over at a livid Aurora. Her glare turned to the others, and they all back out without complaint. "Thanks for the support, guys!" he called after them sarcastically.

He turned his gaze back to her and saw that ice was forming on the ground where she walked. He watched the phenomena with wide eyes. _She's pissed._ "Why must you always be so selfless, Winter!? Think about yourself for once! Better yet, think about me and what happens if the enemy captures me! Do you have any idea—"

"NO! I DON'T!" he interrupted her. She flinched back in surprise. "You've not told me anything! You have constantly kept me in the dark about this! I have no idea what is going on anymore! First this 'demigod' Changewings shows up, then he invades my mind! Not only that, but apparently _Darkstalker_ knows more than me!" He ranted. Aurora looked down, ashamed as he continued on.

"Who is Faredir? Who is his master? What happens if they capture you? What did he mean by 'my namesake'?" She looked up at him surprised at the last question as she let the control over his body slip.

She heaved a sigh while Winter kept glaring at her. After about a minute, she answered, "I can't tell you…" His eyes narrowed. "…but I can show you."

His anger slightly abated, "How?"

She walked up to him and cupped his cheeks with her claws before leaning her forehead on his. _I wasn't expecting this to happen,_ he thought, slightly uncomfortable. She smiled, "You spend one night in a female's bed and your pure mind is ruined." Winter, flustered, didn't answer. She closed her eyes before telling him to do the same, "Close your eyes…reach within your soul and find the part of myself within." She paused for a moment as he followed her instructions. It wasn't hard, he connected with that part of his soul every time he communicated with her.

"Now go deeper…deeper than you've ever ventured before," she instructed. "Follow the link that connects us. Venture within my mind."

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" he asked.

"I will guide you," she replied.

He took a deep breath as he pushed through the link that connected them. He was aware of his body, but he could feel his consciousness leave his own and flow into hers. Eventually, he found himself in an endless realm of flashing blue lights and convoluted sounds. He shut his eyes and covered his ears as the din become too much for him. Then, a gentle nuzzle on his face…he opened his eyes to see that Aurora's form was floating before him. "Follow me," she beckoned.

They floated through this place for what seemed like hours. They passed by different memories that he would get glimpses of. Most of it, his mortal mind couldn't comprehend. Finally, though, they stopped beside a red flashing light. "Why is this one different?" he asked.

She looked at him, "It is the memory I want to show you. Touch it."

He studied it for a moment before doing what he was told.

Darkness enveloped him…

**AN: FINALLY, at long last the main antagonist for this story (for now) is revealed! I've been waiting for this moment all my month!**

**So what are thoughts on Faredir (Yes, the name is Sindarin from LotR) A rough translation would be "The Son of the Hunter" or "The Hunter's Son". He's powerful, I know, but...**

**Actually, I won't spoil that part. *evil laugh***

**Next chapter is something special, and I'm actually really excited to get it done. When, though, is the question, isn't it? I would say 2-3 weeks. I also plan on writing the next chapter of Brighter Future sometime this weekend, so you can forward to that.**

**The poll will come down when Chapter 17 is posted, so if you haven't voted, time is running out!**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	18. Chapter 17

Dragons Change

**AN: This is a sudden and unexpected twist of fate! Two main chapters in one weekend! WHAT!?**

**I spent all day writing this because I was so excited and had so much fun writing it. It's shorter than most chapters, but that's because it's special. Still though, 4.7k words isn't bad at all...especially considering that I wrote this in one day.**

**I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did. OH! If you put on the track Khazad-dum from LotR at the ***, it fits really well.**

**Also, the poll will come down when I post chapter 18 now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Aurora and the other Spirits and their Champions belong to me. This also includes Faredir and another new villain. The cover art for this story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

**Edit 10/2/19: I fixed two instances of mismatched geography. Other than that, no change.**

Chapter 17:

_The sky was fire._

_ Its orange and red glow caused by the solar eclipse was magnified by the sunset. Darkness would soon fall upon the war-torn city. She knew the eclipse wasn't natural. _He_ was showing the world how strong he had become._

_ She all but stumbled into the temple where the sounds of agony began mixing with the din of battle coming from outside. She had been fighting on the front lines for days without rest. Though ethereal, she had sustained her own form of wounds._

_ She was able to make it into the inner sanctum where no one else was before collapsing. Her essence was about to tear itself apart, and she was struggling to prevent that from happening. She looked up at the life-like statues lining the walls. Three were to the left, three to the right, and the last was nestled in the back wall, slightly bigger than the rest._

_ Her gaze stopped on the largest statue. The female it depicted was sitting in a regal pose with her claws extending towards the adjacent walls and their statues. Her eyes were full of warmth and a small smile played at her lips._

_ An explosion shook the temple and interrupted her line of thought. Trails of dust began falling from the stone ceiling. _I was supposed to be their leader…their protector. I failed them…

_ After a few more minutes, she felt a fraction of her strength return to her. She was still exhausted, but at least her essence wasn't falling apart. She made it back out to the courtyard and looked around. Those that looked at her knew she was exhausted. She could sense their doubt in her. _

_ An Icewing guard ran up to her, "Lady Aurora!"_

_ "Status?" she asked. She couldn't keep the exhaustion out of her voice. The guard hesitated to answer—no doubt put off by that. He expression turned to one of rage. "NOW!" she yelled, furious._

_ The guard's eyes widened in fear as he stammered out a report. "W-We've taken heavy losses, My Lady! I don't think we can hold much longer! We have to retreat!"_

_ She back-clawed him with a snarl, and the noise in the courtyard quieted considerably at the audible smack, "You dishonor those who still fight with your cowardice! You will rejoin your fellow soldiers in the defense of this city!"_

_ He shook his head frantically. "It's foolish to resist, and you know it! We should—"_

_ He looked down with a pained grunt. She had taken his sword and thrust it through his heart. He dropped to the ground with an audible thud and she threw the sword away. "Does anyone else feel like running?" she asked. Nobody dared respond. "Someone clean that up," she ordered. "I won't have his filth ruin my temple."_

_ She made her way to the exit and stopped an injured Mudwing soldier. There was a nasty gouge in his side, but he would doubtless be back in the fight within a few hours "What news?" she asked him. _

_ He shook his head, "None good, I'm afraid. We're holdin' for now, but it's only a matter of time 'til they push through."_

_ She nodded grimly, "Do you know where the other Spirits are?"_

_ "The Spirits of Mud, Sand, and Rain are helpin' to defend the main gate, where the bulk of the enemy forces are. Last I heard, the Spirit of Night was defending the siege crews and the Spirit of Sea was helpin' to evacuate civilians from the lower city." He grimaced in pain as he finished._

_ "What of the Spirit of Sky?" she asked, worried._

_ "Sorry, My Lady, no one's seen him," he replied. She stepped out of his way and he walked into the makeshift infirmary to get help._

_ She sighed as she surveyed the city. The temple was built on the side of a mountain and a large staircase led up to it. The slope was split into three tiers with their own defending walls and gates. Since the temple was also the keep, it was the single most defensible position in the city. The complex made up the entire northern portion of the city. _

_ The main gate was on the southern wall of the city. That was where the bulk of the enemy was assaulting the city. Large fireballs and stones were being launched from the east and west. Parts of the walls were already crumbling as vanguard forces were being engaged to prevent the defenders on the south wall from being flanked._

_ The city itself was split into two tiers. The lower city was directly inside the outer wall and surrounded the upper city on the south, east, and west. Three gates and staircases lead upwards into the upper city—one on each wall—which was, in essence, a large acropolis. On the northern part of the upper city was the first gatehouse that guarded the staircase up to the temple._

_ Large swaths of the lower city were aflame. It seems that guard she killed was right, they needed to fall back soon or no one would be left to fall back. "AURORA!"_

_ She looked up to see a large male Icewing swooping down to land next to her. He was breathing heavily and his intricately made armor was all but rent. Blood spatters covered him and a few large gashes were steadily losing blood._

_ The Icewing himself was above average size for someone his age. He was muscular, but not overly so. He was neither built for speed nor for strength. Rather, his body was perfectly balanced for both attributes. Underneath the blood, she knew that he had snow white scales, and his spines shown like diamonds underneath a bright sun. She knew this dragon very well, and they were often seen together._

_ He was her Champion, after all—the physical embodiment of her will. "I thought I ordered you to help defend the south wall!" she yelled at him._

_ He nodded as he landed, "Sediment sent me to find you. Faredir has arrived. He flew in and killed Majesty before we even knew he was there…I'm sorry." She was outwardly distressed at hearing the news. The Rain Spirit was a good friend of hers. He continued, though. "Sediment and Arena were able to hold him off with the help of their Champions, but they can't hold back the tide much longer." He paused before resuming with a hint of fear, "And I received a report from a scout on my way here…"_

_ "He's coming, isn't he?" she asked, defeated. So far He had been content to merely watch the fighting. What had changed? Why would He trouble himself now? "How long do we have?"_

_ "He'll be here at around midnight, but that's not the worst part. He's at the head of a massive undead horde. I think He wants to end this tonight." She closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek._

_ "I am the cause of all this. I am the one that killed her." She sat down in defeat, "It's me he wants."_

_ She felt a gentle claw on her chin, so she opened her eyes to see his fierce determination. "I won't let him take you, Aurora," he whispered. She saw the strange glimmer in his eyes. When she realized what it was, her heart broke…_

_ He loved her._

_ How long had he felt this way? Why had she never noticed it before? "It's forbidden," she told him. She tried to steel her gaze, but she knew that he wasn't buying it._

_ "Maybe it shouldn't be," he whispered back. "It may be unconventional, but love has no boundaries, Aurora. Look into my eyes and tell me you don't feel the same way."_

_ She looked into his eyes and the sounds of the battle faded as time seemed to slow. It was true that she found him to be handsome. He was kind, selfless, smart, a wonderful tactician, and he had a great sense of humor. She remembered the times they spent together. She remembered how different he acted when they were alone._

_ She remembered his caring smile._

_ She remembered his gentle voice._

_ She remembered his soft touch._

_ She remembered all of that and more. Her composure cracked as she realized the truth. Now that she was aware of the small details, she couldn't refuse it any longer. _Love truly does have no boundaries. _ She leaned forward and initiated a kiss with him. It lasted less than a second, but it felt like a lifetime for the both of them. She looked back into his surprised gaze that only grew greater when she said, "I love you, too, Winter."_

_ He smiled at her after getting over his shock. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a horn call. Aurora's gaze shot over to the eastern wall where it originated from, and her eyes turned serious once again, "They've broken through the east wall. Return to the south wall and tell the others to fall back to the first gatehouse!"_

_ "What about the civilians taking shelter in the Upper City!? Are we to abandon them to their deaths?" he asked, appalled._

_ "I'll get some guards together, and we'll evacuate as many as we can. If you see Oceania, tell her to switch her focus to the upper city." He nodded as he turned to leave. "Winter!" she called. He stopped and turned his head to regard her, "Keep an eye out for Hurricane! Nobody's seen him recently!"_

_ He nodded, "I'll pass the word, don't worry!" With that, he took wing again and flew towards the north wall._

_ She watched him fly off for a moment as her exhaustion came back full force. She turned back to the infirmary. She had to do something she had sworn never to do. Once in the courtyard, she looked around at the dead and dying. She stopped a Rainwing who was treating some of the wounded. "Which ones won't survive much longer?" she asked._

_ The Rainwing looked confused, but she didn't argue with her question. She went around the room and pointed out almost one hundred dragons—a mere fraction of the number here. She sent her focus out to the dying dragons and, one by one, cut their link to the world of the living and used their souls to recharge her own essence._

_ Doing this made her sick, but it was necessary if she was going to rejoin the fight. She kept telling herself that they were dying anyways. Ending their suffering was the merciful thing to do, and at least this way their sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing._

_ It didn't help._

_ As the dragons she had indicated stopped breathing one by one, the Rainwing screamed in absolute horror at what she was witnessing. One of her Spirits—the ones who were supposed to protect this city and those who lived in it—had just killed her patients._

_ The doubt from earlier had been replaced with anger. They couldn't understand what she did or why._ _In that moment she made a promise to herself, _If I survive this war, the other Spirits and I will return to our own world. We don't belong in the mortal world. It was our arrogance that created Him.

_ She looked around the room, almost daring someone to voice their outrage. None did, but she decided not to push her luck and left. As she did, she noticed something odd. _Why aren't our siege weapons firing?_ The bottom and middle tiers of the temple-fortress had ramparts that extended around the sides to form half of an octagon. The siege weapons were placed along those areas. It gave them a good view of the eastern and western flanks. Unfortunately, it didn't provide any cover for the southern wall which is why the bulk of the enemy ground troops were centered there._

Shade is supposed to be guarding them, so why have they stopped firing?_ She came in to land to see that the siege machines weren't damaged. They were long range artillery that were similar to catapults in principle but not by design. They were long cylindrical tubes that spit metal and breathe flame. _

_ The siege crews were standing around and fidgeting while Shade and was standing off to the side. "Why aren't we firing?" she asked him._

_ He shook his head, "We ran out of ammo. I sent Razorclaw and a small contingent of troops to fetch some more, but that was a while ago. I fear something might have happened to them." Razorclaw was Shade's Champion. That Nightwing was one of the toughest, most resilient warriors she had ever seen. It was hard to image that something less than Faredir or a small army could take him down._

_ "When I heard the horn sounding, I thought about redeploying the rest, but I wanted to wait a little longer in case he finally showed up," he finished._

_ "We're falling back to the first gatehouse. I need you and your soldiers to help me evacuate the civilians from the upper city," she ordered._

_ He nodded in understanding, "Lead the way, my friend. We'll be right behind you."_

_ She nodded back in thanks before taking wing with the wingbeats of a few score others behind her. They were flying fine until one of the Icewing guards yelled, "Look out!" Then suddenly, there was a wet smack from right next to her as he fell out of the sky with a ballista bolt sticking out of his chest. She blinked in surprise._

_ "Idiot," Shade grumbled. _

_ "It's the thought that counts, Shade," she pointed out. She appreciated the sentiment that he was willing to die for her, but a simple ballista bolt would go straight through her without bringing her harm. "Did anybody see where that came from?"_

_ "Looks like there's a moderately sized force of humans coming in from the northeast," one of the other Icewings said._

_ "Blasted scavengers," a Sandwing snarled. "No doubt taking advantage of the attack to steal relics and treasures from the city. They have no decency!"_

_ "We have more pressing issues to worry about right now. We push onwards!" she ordered. They continued into the upper city. A few soldiers who saw them approach flagged them down, so they set down in the central plaza._

_ "What are your orders, Lady Aurora?" one of the Mudwings asked._

_ "Start on the southern end of the acropolis! Bring as many as you can to the temple! Split up to cover more ground!" The gathered dragons nodded at her orders before a few higher ranking soldiers designated the others into groups._

_ "How long do you think it will take to gather them all?" Shade asked her._

_ She shook her head as civilians sheltering in the adjacent buildings were evacuated by a few lightly injured soldiers that were left behind. "Too long," she replied. "We should go find Oceania. Winter was supposed to redirect her here, but I haven't seen her._

_ "HELP US!"_

_ Aurora looked at Shade before running off in the direction the yell had come from. It was about five minutes until they reached a burning building. The sounds of screams and pounding sounded behind the sturdy wooden doors…which happened to be blocked by a dragon-sized rock that fell off of the adjacent building._

_ Without a word, Aurora gathered her focus as ice began covering the ground. Within a few seconds, a wave of flash-frozen air shot outwards and immediately smothered the fire. Next, she went up to the stone wall and touched it. Ice stretched along it's surface to create a new doorway. When she deemed it acceptable, she flicked her wrist, and the ice cracked before the entire wall came tumbling down._

_ The seven dragons that were trapped inside came out only slightly worse for wear. There was a chorus of "Thank you, Lady Aurora," from the rescued dragons. She nodded at them as Shade told them to run towards the temple._

_ All of a sudden, another rock from a catapult came crashing into the building, collapsing it in a billowing cloud of dust and rubble. She covered her eyes on reflex. "Looks like you got them out just in time."_

_ "It was only a small victory. Find Oceania; get her help to evacuate the rest of the civilians." He nodded. "Look for Hurricane while you're at it. I want to know what happened to him!"_

_ He was about to take off when they heard a shout, "Wait!"_

_ They both looked up to see a Seawing coming in hot. She collapsed on the ground in front of them. She was wearing the same armor that Winter had been. This was Oceania's champion, Barracuda. She wasn't much of a fighter, so she was surprised to see her dressed in battle armor. "Where is Oceania?"_

_ She took a few deep breaths before answering, "She sent me to find help. We found Hurricane; he was fighting one on one with Faredir…He didn't make it." Aurora visibly deflated at that. _That's two friends that I've lost today._ "Oceania is holding him off, but she needs backup."_

_ "I am NOT losing another friend today!" Shade nodded in agreement. "Take me to her, fast!" Barracuda took one last deep breath before launching into the air again. Aurora followed her closely, and Shade followed right behind them._

*******During_ the short flight, she could see that the defenders on the outer wall had fought their way back to the inner wall surrounding the Upper City. The auxiliary ballistae and trebuchets had been set up on the towers and were firing on the Lower City. "Arena's plan, no doubt!" Shade called forward._

_ She nodded in agreement. "They'll buy as much time for the evacuation before pulling back to the temple. If anyone can pull off any kind of victory at this point, it would be Arena."_

_ Now that the outer wall had fallen, the enemies were swarming into the lower city. The bombardment was delaying the advance, but they were moving forward, nonetheless. The Seawing Champion led them to the southwestern corner of the city to a small marketplace where she could sense the presence of powerful dark magic._

_ Oceania was currently fighting a losing battle against The Hunter's Son. She went flying through a street stall before lying in a heap against a pile of rubble. Aurora shot down as she released her frost breath. _

_ He was surprised from the unexpected attack but was able to raise a glowing purple shield against the power of her frost breath. She slid across the ground and turned to him in a battle stance._

_ He growled at her. No words were exchanged as they each sized their opponent up. Faredir was larger than most dragons. His back scales were a blood red color, and his underbelly and chest scales were black. There was a line of black scales from the tip of his nostrils, up his muzzle, and around his eyes that gave him an almost demonic appearance along with his black horns and claws. Small black spines ran down his back, and black spikes protruded from the joints on his legs. His piercing red eyes glowed with unbridled hatred and rage._

_ He let loose a fearsome roar as he charged forward. She dodged his first swing and his second before blocking his third and counterattacking with a slash to his chest. He jumped back as he placed a paw on his wound. When he saw the fresh blood, he sneered at her smug expression before slamming a glowing paw down onto the ground._

_ The few dead in the area—attackers and defenders alike—began rising with an eerie moan. She looked around as ten walking corpses shambled over to her. She dispatched them with a blast of flash-frozen air before smashing them to pieces with her wings and tails._

_ It was at that moment that a super-charged fist punched her clear across the market square. She groaned before standing and shaking her head. He was slowly walking towards her with a snarl._

_ Shade jumped out from the shadows—a bit too early. Faredir grabbed him by the neck, slammed him into the ground, and hit him twice with his dark magic powered fists. "SHADE!" she yelled, terrified. His essence was flickering from that single attack._

_ Another rock struck the building to Faredir's side and a cloud of dust obscured him momentarily. He stalked forward—his eyes glowing unnaturally through the dust—as she stood on shaky legs._

_ Aurora did not scare easily but seeing how much stronger this dragon—this MORTAL—was compared to her absolutely terrified her. There was nothing she could do besides hope that someone came to help her. Until then, she had to fight smart._

_ "I've been hoping to catch you alone, Aurora," he spoke to her. If this was any other dragon, she might say his voice sounded nice. "I wanted the chance to show your fractured essence to my father before he got here. It would make a nice gift, don't you think? You remember what today is?"_

_ "I remember," she said, regretfully. "Fifty-five years ago to this day was when I killed the mother of his child."_

_ He snarled again, "You don't even remember her name, do you?" When she didn't answer, he roared in rage before lunging forward again. He slashed at her with the same opening before feinting his third strike. When she tried to block it, his other claw struck her backwards across the face._

_ He took full advantage of her stunned opening. Her head snapped to the right, left, and then backwards from his infamous three-hit combo. She stumbled back before dropping to the ground underneath a tail swipe before using the chance to charge under his hind legs and lift him up and onto his back._

_ He rolled as soon as his back hit ground and swept Aurora's legs out from under her—tried to anyways. She jumped over his attack but screamed in agony when purple flame erupted from his maw. When the stream of fire stopped, she fell to the ground._

_ He grabbed her roughly by the horn and forced her to look into his eyes, "I want you to remember my face! I want you to know that it was _I,_ Faredir, son of Urfael, who rid the world of your lies!"_

_ With his talons poised to strike, time seemed to slow as a brilliant flash of golden light lit the darkened city. Faredir used his talons to cover his eyes before he was sent flying through a nearby building._

_ When the light died down and the dust cleared, a single dragon stood amidst the rubble. "Winter," she breathed. He wore nothing but a single chest piece that held—_

_ CRASH_

_ The pile of debris that Faredir had been buried under had erupted to reveal a VERY pissed off dragon. "You may have control over the anchor for now, but it won't save you. You will die, Icewing."_

_ Winter's eyes narrowed, "That outcome is inevitable…but not on this day!" He and Faredir lunged at each other at the same time. His enemy opened with the same combo that he had used against her._

_ It was a mistake._

_ The Icewing had observed the fight before interfering when her life was in danger. He knew some of Faredir's fighting style, so he sidestepped, threw a double left jab into his opponent's face before using his tail to swing around and knock Faredir off his feet. As he fell, he tried one last swipe against the Icewing, but he grabbed his arm, twisted, and broke his leg with an open-paw punch to the joint._

_ Faredir roared in agony as he hit the ground, but Winter wasn't done. He pulled his enemy closer to him with his left arm before pummeling him in the face with a hard right. He pulled back to do it again when his opponent dodged and yanked the anchor out of its socket with his good arm._

_ He used the orb to smack Winter across the face as he got to his feet before hitting him again. With his opponent dazed, Faredir stepped back to fix his foreleg. He shoved the bone back into place with a pained snarl before using dark magic to mend it._

_ He watched his opponent's panicked expression before Faredir tossed the orb away, "Not feeling so confident now, are we?" he mocked._

_ It was at that moment when a roar that would strike fear into the very heavens themselves sounded from the sky. Aurora watched in horror as the dragon she so feared descended from the sky._

_ He was massive—easily twice as big as Aurora herself, and she was no small dragon. When he landed, the very ground shook. She gazed up in horror upon seeing his solid form and black scales. His underbelly, horns, claws, and spikes were a brilliant golden color. His eyes, though, shone a malicious purple. "Urfael," she whispered._

_ He looked down upon her with a barely restrained urge to kill before looking over to the petrified form of her Champion. "Come here, Icewing."_

_ A dull purple light shone from between Winter's scales as he struggled against his own body, but it was for naught. Faredir was powerful, but even he paled in comparison to the power that this living god possessed. She watched Winter in horror and he locked eyes with her._

_ Urfael looked between them, visibly confused before understanding dawned upon him, "Ah…_love_! A dreadful bond, and yet…so easily severed. I want you to watch, Aurora. I want you to understand my pain." He locked eyes with her as he spoke, "Faredir…kill him."_

_ Winter's screams of agony lasted for hours before his body fell to the ground, barely recognizable from the horrors inflicted upon him. Then Urfael raised his corpse and tortured him again…and again…and again. All the while she was forced to watch, fully aware that she was powerless to stop this._

_ When it was finally over, the other four surviving Spirits had merely watched along with her. They knew they couldn't hope to fight Urfael, and the massive dragon allowed them to watch._

_ As the sun rose and Winter's body fell to the ground for the last time, Aurora wept. "Call off the attack, my son. We are finished here." Faredir bowed his head before taking to the sky._

_ No one attempted to stop him._

_ "W-Why?" she choked out._

_ He leaned down next to her with a sympathetic gaze and spoke in a warm, caring tone, "You hardened my heart, Aurora, but I am not without mercy. I will give you ten years reprieve from this war. I will allow you to grieve, but know this," his voice had grown cold again. "He will not be the last to feel my wrath…not while you still persist. I will not kill you, and neither will my army or my son. In order to save those you care about, you must end your own existence. Only then will I be appeased."_

_ She just lay there, tears falling in rivers from her eyes, gazing at the pile of gore that had once been her Champion as the massive dragon took to the skies, his wings buffeting those below him._

_ In some form of cruel twist of fate, Winter's face was almost untouched. She closed his eyes and kissed his forehead as her tears fell from her cheeks to his. To those watching, it seemed that Winter himself was crying tears of sorrow._

_ She wept above his mutilated corpse as everything she never knew she wanted to tell him began to gnaw at her heart. She had never told him how proud she was. She never told him that he made her monotonous existence more bearable._

_ And now he was gone—taken from her by the dragon she had punished for the same reason: for falling in love with a mortal._

_ What felt like a lifetime went by before Shade approached her, "What do we do now?"_

_ She was silent before her expression hardened. "We find replacements for Hurricane and Majesty. Then…" She picked up the damaged anchor and gazed at it somberly. She took a deep breath as she sent some of her power through the artifact. Its glow flickered briefly and she nodded to herself. "Then we find a way to defeat him."_

**AN: I won't bore you with a long author's note, but I would like to know what you thought about everything. Urfael is the name of Talion's sword from Shadow of Mordor/War. I liked the name and what it means, so I used it. I have no claim on anything from LotR.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	19. Chapter 18

Dragons Change

**AN: I'm going to get the most important thing out of the way first. For those of you who haven't checked the final poll results, they are as follows:**

**Moon-9**

**Blaze-9**

**Aurora-6**

**Ruby-5**

**Obviously, we have a tie on our hands, which means that I will have to be the tie-breaker. Between Moon and Blaze, it's my opinion that only one of them can ultimately win. There's just too much bitterness between those two for them to agree to 'share' as it were. Realistically, I couldn't make it work, so only one can take her place in Winter's heart. It was hard for me to decide as I've been going back and forth between them for most of the story, but at this moment. In this final decision...**

**I pick Moon.**

**Sorry to everyone who was rooting for Blaze, but if it counts for anything, the two will remain as good friends. Nothing will change that.**

**I did say, however, that I would think about a second relationship given the poll results. Therefore, my _second_ vote would be for Aurora. It makes sense if you think about it. Aurora is the one who brought him back to life, and she'll have to remain with him until his mortal life ends. With that kind of situation, it would be reasonable for their relationship to deepen.**

**Does everyone find this acceptable? **

**Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to a new character theme! This one fits _really_ well for who it goes with. Faredir's character theme is the song "Hunted" by Device. The dark tones and evil-sounding lyrics fit so well with his character and backstory. It's also pretty high on my list of favorite songs.**

**Also, I forgot to ask this on the last chapter, but do you guys want more flashbacks like the one from the previous chapter?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint, Aurora and the other Spirits, and Faredir belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to their owner Frostbite15. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 18:

Winter's consciousness snapped back into his body so quickly that he collapsed backwards onto the floor, momentarily dazed. "Apologies, Winter. I lost my concentration. Those memories…they still affect me even after all this time."

He didn't say anything as he got up, the last remnants of his dizzy-spell fading. He looked at her in a new light after viewing her memory of that fateful day. He had so many questions about what happened, but he understood that she probably didn't want to dwell on such bad memories.

He was shocked when she killed that guard just because he wanted to retreat. Why? What was the point? "Why did you kill that Icewing, Aurora?" He had to know why if only to understand her motives. Especially since she was 'living' inside of him.

She sighed before nodding, "I can understand your confusion and even your anger. He wasn't the first to suggest retreat, but he was the first to plead for us to surrender. If he was from any other tribe, I wouldn't have done what I did."

"So Icewings are expendable? Is that it?" he accused her with a low growl.

She reared back, absolutely appalled. "Stars above, no! How could you think me that cruel!? I have no jurisdiction against the other tribes unless specifically asked by the other Spirits. I killed him as a warning to those who might want to surrender in the future because it was considered treason to do so without our consent!"

He looked away when he whispered his next accusation. He was conflicted to say the least, but he was also angry. He had been blaming the Changewings because he believed that they were the cause of this war. Now…he knew the truth. "You killed an innocent dragon for falling in love, Aurora."

She was silent, so he looked back at her. Her expression was neutral and carefully guarded. His anger flared, "YOU CAUSED THIS WAR!" She had no reaction to his raised voice which only made him angrier. "You had the choice to end it, but instead you let others die because YOU COULDN'T SEE PAST YOUR OWN SELFISH DESIRES!" Curls of frost were steadily drifting out of his nostrils at this point.

She looked down with closed eyes and spoke in a whisper when she replied. "Do you really believe that I didn't try to end my own existence to prevent the others from suffering? That war continued to rage on for another two centuries before we finally defeated Him. The dragon race was left in ruins—a mere shadow of their once thriving civilization." Winter's expression softened slightly when she looked up. Her eyes were filled with so much despair and regret that he had to look away, more than a little perturbed.

"At one point I crawled before Urfael himself and begged him to do what I could not. He refused, though. He remained firm in that I had to do it myself, but when the moment came…" The emotions she was trying to hold back suddenly sprung forth, and she began sobbing. "I—I don't w-want to die!"

All of Winter's anger vanished at that point and he looked down in shame. _ Of course, she doesn't want to die…Who _does_?_ It didn't feel right not trying to comfort her, so he wrapped her in a tender hug that she returned graciously. He kept thinking as she cried into his shoulder. _I know now that us mortals go to the Spirit world when we die, but…where do the Spirits go?_

Aurora sniffled as she backed away, "We cease to exist." At this point, she finally returned his eye contact. "Our essence disappears as if we never were." She looked away again. "Is there anything else you wish to accuse me of?" She sounded almost resigned at this point, and Winter regretted everything he had said to her thus far.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Aurora," he said sincerely. She looked back at him out of the corner of her eye. "If there's anyone who can even hope to relate, I can. I've done plenty of things that I regret—sometimes they made me not sleep so well. It was unfair of me to accuse you of being selfish…no one wants to die."

She nodded as her gaze once again locked to his, "Even those…who feel as if they deserve it."

A single tear felt out of his eye at those words. If she had been watching him this whole time, then she knew the truth. He had only felt like that once before. He had been so close to the edge that one more step would have sent him tumbling, and it was Flint who pulled him out of his despair. If not for his brother…

If not for Flint, he probably would've given up a long time ago. It was highly possible that the Mudwing had saved his life without realizing. Now here he was, accusing Aurora—one of the few dragons he cared about more than himself—that she was wrong not to end her own existence.

It made him realize just how terrible a dragon he could sometimes be…and how much he valued her for helping him through the tough times.

He leaned his head onto Aurora's chest, and she wrapped her wings around him without a word. He released a single ragged breath, "I'm glad you're with me, Aurora." They remained in their silent embrace for a few more moments before he decided that now was the time to confess something to her that had been on his mind for a while. "There are only four dragons in this world that mean more to me than everyone else: Flint and Hailstorm because they are my brothers, Moon because…well, she just means a lot to me. And you." He looked up at her, pleading, "Promise me you won't leave when we finish our journey, Aurora."

Her hold on him tightened and she rested her head atop his. "I'm glad to be with you, Winter…and I don't plan on going anywhere. I promise."

After another moment, she released her hold on him. Strong yet gentle arms that he knew all too well grabbed him from behind, and he didn't hesitate to hug the one who he knew they belonged to. "Neither am I," Flint whispered.

Once he was able to compose himself, he looked past Flint to see everyone else standing there. "H-How long have you guys been standing there?"

Hailstorm was the one who answered, "Long enough, Winter…long enough." Flint released him and stood off to the side as Hailstorm approached. "Is it true? Did you…" He didn't finish, but Winter understood. He looked down in shame and gave his brother a barely perceptible nod as an answer. A new set of arms had wrapped around him. They were slightly unfamiliar, but he could sense the gentleness in them as well. He knew who it was, of course, but he didn't know why Hailstorm was hugging him like this.

"Why?" he started to ask.

"I never knew," he whispered. "I kept trying to push you to be a better Icewing, but I was only pushing you closer to the edge." Hailstorm was quiet for a long time, and when he spoke again, it made Winter's eyes glisten with fresh tears. "I love you, Winter."

It was the first time he had ever heard Hailstorm say those words to him.

Hailstorm's grip tightened on him, and Winter realized that he was crying silently despite his steady voice. "Don't ever think about going where I can't follow…you hear me? I should've been there for you, and I'll never forgive myself for letting my little brother live a life where he thinks he isn't loved." Hailstorm backed away just enough to wipe his eyes and smile sadly at him. "If I have to say it every day, then I will: I love you."

Winter wipes his eyes before saying with a genuine smile, "I love you, too, Hailstorm."

Flint came back in and squeezed the two Icewing together in one, big hug, "And I love my two Icewing brothers, too!"

Winter and Hailstorm both looked up at the Mudwing in surprise, and Winter actually laughed. It was a genuine, happy laugh. His brother by blood and his brother by bond were coming together just for him. Hailstorm seemed to realize the significance, as well. "I guess I have a Mudwing as a brother, now!" He stated with a chuckle.

Winter glanced at the others out of the corner of his eye. Aurora was smiling at the scene with that motherly smile of hers. Cliff's expression was neutral, but Cataclysm and Blaze were standing there with their own smiles while watching the touching scene. Moon, however, was looking down with a deep sadness in her posture. He made a mental note to ask her about it later…if she would let him.

When Flint released the two Icewings, Winter sat down in front of the others with a small smile. His brothers sat down on either side of him as he addressed all of them. "I know that I've wronged some of you in the past. And I know…that some of the things I have said and done have caused bitterness between us. The fact that you all stayed shows how much you care. I just wanted to say that I can't imagine attempting this journey without each and every one of you by my side."

Varying amounts of emotions were beginning to stir in his small audience. Moon refused to look him in the eye, but he could see the effect his words were having on her. "You are my family," he looked at Flint and Hailstorm. "My friends," he shifted his gaze to Aurora, Cataclysm, and Cliff. "And more," Moon and Blaze both looked at him at that. "And I want you all to know how much you mean to me."

Flint was the first to pull him back into a hug, followed by Hailstorm, then Aurora, Cataclysm, and Blaze. Cliff, however, looked at him with a stony expression before walking out. When everyone released him from the group hug, he looked over to see Moon looking at him with a regretful expression. She walked over to him with a slightly uncertain expression.

When she stopped directly in front of him, he cocked his head in both confusion and curiosity. When she spoke, it was in a whisper, "Tell me the truth, Winter. Why?"

She didn't elaborate, but he knew what she meant: 'Why did you yell at me after telling you the truth? Why did you break my heart?'

Hailstorm, who was closest, apparently heard and understood her question, too, as he began ushering the others away quietly. Winter was quiet until they left and for several minutes afterward. She never rushed him to answer, but neither did she try to leave. She wanted an answer.

And she wanted it now.

He slumped in defeat and closed his eyes when he finally did answer her. "I…I was afraid." She didn't speak, so he took that as a sign that she wanted clarification. "Every time I tried to get closer to you, I would remember the night I left… I was afraid that you would leave me again when we found Qibli." He sighed, "I thought that if I tried to keep my distance, it would hurt less when you eventually left… I was wrong."

He all but whispered the last part. When she eventually answered, he was surprised by what she requested, "Look into my eyes, Winter. Tell me what you see."

He acquiesced after but a moment's hesitation. He looked into her eyes expecting anger, frustration, and resentment. What he saw instead was something completely different.

He could clearly see her guilt and regret for what happened between them. He could see her concern for him after learning the truth. He could see a new sense of understanding now that she knew his reason. Most importantly, though…

He could see a mere glimmer of her love for him. It was no longer as strong as what it used to be, but it was there. What happened between the two of them had stretched that connection until it snapped. He knew she could hear his thoughts since he didn't have his bracelet on anymore. He also knew that she still wasn't satisfied, so he took a bold risk.

Without removing his gaze from her, he spoke. "You've given me more chances than I deserve, and I have no right to ask for another one…but I'm asking… Will you give me just one more chance, Moon? Will you please forgive me?"

She answered him by leaning forward and giving a small kiss to his cheek. He stared at her, absolutely stunned when she backed away. "I forgive you," she whispered. Without another word, she turned and walked away.

He closed his eyes as a few tears fell down his cheek and onto the floor. This time, however, they were tears of joy. He heard heavy clawsteps enter the room, and a familiar voice asked in an accusing tone, "What did she say to you?"

He opened his eyes to look at Flint before a smile began tugging at his lips, "She forgives me." Flint's eyes softened, and he chuckled. "Although, after this emotional conversation, I think I need a nap. Will you wake me before dinner?"

Flint nodded, but before he left, he said, "The others are getting restless. We've been stuck here without much progress for almost two weeks. We have to make a decision on what to do _tonight_."

Winter sighed, "I know." With that, Flint nodded one last time before leaving and shutting the door. When he laid down on the bed, sleep claimed him quickly, and he dreamed about a city under siege as monstrous abominations and hordes of undead tried to end everything the innocents inside had ever known. He dreamed of an almost demonic dragon with eyes like fire, glowing with pure anger and hatred.

He awoke with a gasp. The last thing he remembered seeing was the terrified expression of his namesake as the same red and black dragon began killing him, slowly…painfully. He looked around the room in an attempt to calm his racing heart when he noticed something he hadn't before.

There was a nice box sitting on its own shelf on the wall. The shelf was dusty, but the box was pristine. _It must be something really important to Hailstorm._ Curious, he got up to look. He never remembered his brother having something this important or meaningful to him. Otherwise, he probably would have at least heard him mention it.

He opened the lid to find…

He frowned. _ Nothing?_ It was a small box, too, so whatever it was couldn't have been very large. A scroll could just barely fit inside. _It really isn't my business, anyways._ With that, he shut the lid carefully and walked downstairs. Cliff and Cataclysm were sitting in front of the fire and turned when he approached. "Where are the others?"

"In here!" he heard Flint yell from down the hallway leading to the kitchen. He nodded at the two before walking in the direction the yell had come from. Flint, Blaze, and Moon were eating their dinners. "Uh…sorry, Winter. I forgot to wake you," he said sheepishly.

He shook his head, "That's okay. Is there anything for me?"

Flint nodded and stood up. He walked over to a hatch on the floor and opened it up. "Hailstorm said to help ourselves, so get whatever you want." Winter looked at him, confused, but he went down into the cold cellar and grabbed a few fish.

Hailstorm usually prepared the food for them as any good host would. _So why didn't he tonight? _"Did he go somewhere?" Blaze shrugged with an uncertain expression.

"He left in kind of a hurry. He was real quiet, and he wouldn't look any of us in the eye," Flint said.

"His thoughts were pretty jumbled, too," Moon said. "I got the sense that it was urgent, though." Winter ate his food with concerned thoughts swirling around about his brother before excusing himself quickly.

He passed by Cataclysm and Cliff on his way out the front door. He looked around the front before deciding to go check the gardens off to the side. There was no one there, either, so he decided to check the pond in the back.

He heard laughter as he approached. He peeked around the corner of a boulder that separated the pond from the rest of the yard. He saw Cataclysm…

_Wait a minute…Cataclysm was inside a few minutes ago._ He saw some other female Skywing playing around in the water. Cataclysm's leg was broken, so there was absolutely no way this was her. She couldn't exactly stay here, though, since this was Hailstorm's house. He sincerely doubted his brother let young Skywings come over just to play in his pond.

He rounded the corner and called out. "Excuse me!" He tried to sound as unthreatening as possible, but she still whirled around with a startled expression. Winter slowed as he got a look at her face. _Why does she look familiar?_

"Yes?" she asked, smiling when she saw him. "Can I help you, Winter?"

At that, he stopped and did a double-blink. _How does she know my name?_ "I'm sorry, have we met? You know my name, and you look vaguely familiar, but…" He shook his head for emphasis.

She cocked her head in confusion, "Of course we've met; we live together!"

…

_Say what?_ "No…I don't think so… What's your name?" He was a little wary of this Skywing now. Was she crazy or just confused? She called him by name, though…

She looked thoroughly hurt at his question, "How could you forget your own sister!? It's me, Pyrite!" Winter's brain just shut down at that. _Sister!? I don't have a—wait a minute. Where have I heard that name before?_

It took all of thirty seconds before Winter remembered…and then he fainted.

When he woke up…again. Pyrite was shaking him awake with a concerned expression, "Are you okay, Winter? You just fainted."

He groaned as he rubbed his bruised forehead. _I must've fallen on a rock or something._ He shook his head and looked up at…his sister? _How does that even work?_ "Y-Yeah, I'm okay. What are you doing out here by yourself?"

She smiled at him again, "I was just playing in the water. I like swimming. It's almost as fun as flying." Winter forced a smile as his gaze flicked down to the necklace she was wearing.

_I believe it's the same one from before. _He pointed at her necklace, "That's a nice necklace, Pyrite. Where did you get it?" He asked with a small smile.

Her smile grew wider and she leapt forward and hugged him. "You gave it to me as a hatch-day gift! That's why you're the best brother ever!"

Winter's forced smile became just a little more genuine and he hugged her back. "I am pretty amazing, aren't I?" he joked, and she giggled. _Even if I don't understand everything that's happening right now, I should at least try to be the brother she thinks I am. _ "Have you had anything to eat yet?" She shook her head. He pulled back from the hug, wrapped his wing around her, and began leading her back to the house. They walked through the yard and back towards the house. "What sounds good to eat?" he asked her.

It was at that moment when her stomach growled louder than a ferocious Nightwing. She giggled at his stunned expression, "I don't know, but whatever it is, I want _a lot_ of it!"

They walked through the back door into the kitchen. Luckily, the others weren't back here anymore. He motioned for her to sit down as he went over to the cellar. He grabbed the closest thing to him, which was half of a pig, and brought it up. "Would you like it cooked or no?"

She brightened up even more at the question. "You would really cook for me?"

He nodded and looked over at her. "Of course I would. Why wouldn't I?" He grabbed some wood from the pile and stuck it into the oven. Then, he cut the pig into smaller pieces that would cook better. He washed his talons in the water trough when he was done. He seasoned the cut pieces with some spices and placed them on the stone slab inside the oven. This entire time, the two of them were talking about whatever, and when he was done, he looked back at Pyrite with a grin. "Would you like to do the honors?"

She was positively glowing with excitement when she bounded over to him. She leaned down to set the wood on fire before she stopped. She looked back up at him, and he motioned for her to continue with a smile. She smiled back. It wasn't her excited smile, though.

No, this smile was filled with adoration and love for her brother.

Then, she turned away and lit the fire. When she stood back up and flashed him a proud grin, he wrapped her into a hug. He could tell that she was slightly taken aback, but she didn't hesitate to return it. _This isn't so bad,_ he thought._ I kind of like having Pyrite as a sister._ She was as bubbly as Kinkajou was when they first met, but he found that he didn't mind that. It was a nice change to the doom and gloom his life was now becoming.

The smell of cooking pork and ham was fast wafting throughout the house, bringing with it a food-loving Mudwing. "By the moons, what is that _smell_? It smells like I'm in food heaven!" Flint turned the corner, his nostrils twitching as he breathed in the scent.

Winter chuckled. "I guess those cooking lessons with Amber paid off, huh?"

"I'll be the judge of that," he snorted in amusement.

When he moved towards the oven, Pyrite jumped in front of and tried to push him away but only succeeded in pushing herself backwards until she was on the ground. She blinked in slight surprise at the situation she found herself in. However, she got back up with a scowl as she blocked him from taking another step. "Nuh uh, I don't think so, Mudwing! This is _my_ pig that Winter cooked for _me_!"

For his part, Flint was just staring at her, completely speechless. He looked over to Winter for help, so the Icewing decided to oblige. "Flint, this is Pyrite. She's my sister."

Flint cocked his head in confusion, "You have a Skywing sister?" Winter nodded. "When? How? Why have you never told me?"

Winter looked at Pyrite before his gaze went back to Flint, "Tell you what, I will give you the whole story later. Right now, I just want to spend some time with her without being bombarded with questions." He smiled and patted Flint's shoulder, "Please?"

The Mudwing sighed but nodded. "I suppose I won't be telling the others, then. What about…"

He trailed off, but Winter knew what he was about to ask. "I'll have a plan ready by tomorrow, hopefully."

"It's been two days, already, Winter," he whispered so Pyrite couldn't hear. "It may already be too late to save the Queen, and even if it's not, the odds against us will only rise the more time we spend doing nothing."

Winter sighed and nodded, resigned. "I know, but I can't abandon Ruby. She—I—" he sighed again.

It seemed that Flint put two and two together, though. His eyes went wide and his jaw fell open, "D-did you…" Winter nodded, unashamed. Flint just looked at him for a straight minute before, "Well, shit!"

"Hey! Language!" Pyrite yelled. Flint at least had the good sense to look slightly ashamed as he walked out of the kitchen. Winter sighed before checking the meat. It was done.

He skewered each piece of meat with a talon before placing them in a heap on a plate that he then placed before Pyrite who was salivating at the mountain of meat. "Enjoy," he mock-bowed with a grin.

She didn't need to be told twice.

He sat across from her at the table and watched as she dug in. His smile fell after a while, though. _I would enjoy this more if I didn't know the truth. I know it's Hailstorm wearing that necklace. At the same time, though, I think I might miss Pyrite when he takes it off._ Something dawned on him suddenly. _I wonder if this is how Moon felt regarding Peacemaker and Darkstalker?_

A loud belch broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked to see that Pyrite had finished all but one piece. He looked at her questioningly. "That one's for you," she said with her oh-so infectious smile. "It's the least I could do to say thank you."

"You didn't have to do that. I made it for you," he pointed out. She just shrugged before scooting the plate over to him. He gazed at her with brotherly affection before picking it up and eating it. "Not bad, if I do say so myself."

She giggled again, and he smiled at her. He had only known Pyrite for less than an hour, and he was already beginning to care about her as if she really was his sister. _I suppose, in a way, she is. Hailstorm is my brother, after all._

At this point, it was beginning to get late, but Winter had no intentions of falling asleep for a few more hours. He still wanted to spend time with Pyrite before the inevitable happened. "Is the sun going down, already?" she asked as a few warm-colored rays came through the window. She sighed, "I guess that means I should go to sleep."

He frowned at that. "You don't have to go to sleep if you don't want to, Pyrite. You can stay up for a little longer."

She shook her head. "No, I should go to sleep now. I like to get up early, and I don't want to be tired tomorrow when I do." He nodded in understanding. _Well, there goes any chance of spending some more time with her._

"Come on, then. I'll take you to your room," he got up and beckoned her over.

She lead the way and he followed. They garnered a lot of curious looks when they passed the others in the living room. Moon glared at him, undoubtedly thinking of something else. _She's my sister, Moon, _he projected to her. Her expression immediately shifted to surprise, and she began blinking rapidly as if she couldn't comprehend what he had just told her.

Pyrite didn't speak again until they were in her bedroom, "Why are there so many dragons here?" she asked, confused.

"They're friends of mine that are staying over for tonight. That's okay, right?" She nodded at him as she went over to the box he had seen earlier. She grabbed the necklace and pulled it off…

Where Pyrite had been mere seconds before, now stood Hailstorm. His eyes were closed and his posture slumped as his claws were frozen midair, still grasping the necklace. Winter's expression immediately shifted to one of concern. "You weren't supposed to see me like this," Hailstorm whispered.

Winter walked over and placed a comforting paw on his shoulder, "I'm not judging you, Hailstorm. You don't have to be ashamed of this."

His brother turned to look at him, "That's the thing…I'm not. I should be, though, should I not? It isn't right!" Hailstorm acted like he was about to throw the necklace before he remembered what it was. Horrified at what he almost did, he placed it gently back inside the box.

"Why don't you start from the beginning. It might be easier to get it off your chest than to hold it in," Winter suggested.

Hailstorm shook his head. "I don't want you to think less of me," he whispered in defeat.

"The only way I would think less of you is if you wanted to be a Rainwing instead," he joked.

Hailstorm snorted. "Well, if you put it like that…" he trailed off. He was silent for a long time, but Winter just sat there patiently as Hailstorm collected his thoughts. "I guess it just made things easier," he started.

"When you first released me from the spell, I was confused, conflicted. I didn't know who I was. It only became worse as time went by after the Diamond Trial. Father died, Icicle was executed, and Mother wasn't the most supportive parent. She kept pushing me to be better, but I couldn't focus on anything other than wondering who I was.

"I knew I was an Icewing…but I also knew I was a Skywing. I couldn't decide on which I was, so on one particularly bad day…I flew away with the necklace to somewhere no one could find me. I rewrote the enchantment on the piece of paper to my liking, put it on, and then…" he smiled at fondly reminiscing this memory.

"I was free. I took the necklace off a few hours later, and my doubts were gone. I wasn't an Icewing _or_ a Skywing. I was both. When I flew back, I began working my way up the rankings again until I was all the way into the first circle. It was difficult, but I was able to get Mother to the first circle as well. It took years to do, and during that time, I realized that my doubts would come back after just being me for too long.

"Spending a few hours as Pyrite a week in private helped me be a better Icewing in public. It was hard to keep secret, and I think a few dragons caught on that something wasn't right with me, but no one dared speak out without proof. When Snowfall provided that proof, though…

"She summoned me to the throne room one day. That was when I saw that she had found the necklace. She held it up in front of me, taunting me…I lunged for it. She tried to yank it away, but I…I—I just became infuriated. I attacked her and killed two guards before they subdued me. They threw me into prison, and I thought my fate was to be the same as Icicle's." Hailstorm wouldn't even look Winter in the eye anymore.

"One night, a few weeks later, I heard a fight in the prisons. Mother came up to my cell and unlocked it without a word. She handed me the necklace and told me that if I ever returned to the Ice Kingdom, she would kill me herself." He stopped there and looked at Winter. "You know the rest of the story."

Winter nodded, "I reckon that I know most of it. I just have one question, though…" Hailstorm looked at him, which is when he continued, "Do you like being Pyrite?"

The older Icewing looked away with a conflicted expression, "The way I have the enchantment worded, I'm aware of everything that Pyrite does, but she isn't aware of me or anything that I do. Being her makes everything more simple, but…she doesn't know what I do about what's going on." Hailstorm looked back at Winter, "And I promised not to leave you again."

Winter smiled at him kindly, "And you won't. Pyrite may not know the truth, but I do. Every time she smiles at me, I know that you are smiling at me, too."

Hailstorm smiled slightly at that before he frowned again, "What do you think I should do? I can't live as two dragons forever."

Winter placed a comforting paw on his brother's shoulder," You want my advice?" he asked in a gentle tone. Hailstorm nodded. "Talk to Flint. You will never find a more understanding and loyal dragon. Now that he's adopted you as his sib, he would do anything for you…you only need to ask."

Hailstorm glanced at him, unsure about this. "You really trust him, don't you?"

Winter nodded with a small smile, "More than words can relay."

The older Icewing nodded after a moment, "How am I supposed to start that kind of conversation, though? What do I even say?"

Bittersweet memories began flooding through Winter's mind of all the times he needed to talk with Flint about his troubles. "You say: 'Flint…can I talk to you?' He'll know what you mean." _Spirits know how many times he's heard me ask that._ Hailstorm turned to leave, but Winter stopped him with a wing. "Don't be afraid to open up to him, Hailstorm. It doesn't matter if he sees you at your worst… he will never judge anyone that he cares about."

Hailstorm studied Winter's expression, "He sounds like a great dragon, Winter. I just wish you two could have met sooner." With that, he left Winter by himself in that large, empty room.

He sighed. "So do I," he whispered to himself.

With that taken care of, he decided to go back downstairs. He watched as Hailstorm said something to Flint, and the Mudwing hastily excused himself to the others as he followed the Icewing outside.

Winter continued until he was downstairs, but rather than sit with the others in the living area lit by a warm fire, he entered the dark library. He took a deep breath and rubbed a gentle claw over his heart. A pleased sigh escaped him as a feeling of warmth and comfort enveloped him. Aurora's essence that she placed inside his heart was reacting to his touch. "I know you said you wouldn't help me make plans anymore—that I had to make the decisions of what to do on my own—but…"

"You needn't worry about that anymore, Winter," she said from beside him. "I could feel Faredir's presence in the city, and I thought if I laid low, he wouldn't find out about you. Unfortunately, I was wrong."

Winter looked over at her before closing his eyes and leaning against her shoulder. She wrapped a spectral wing around him, and he sighed again, this time in contentment. "Why didn't you tell me the truth?" he whispered. He wasn't accusing her of anything this time. He just wanted to know what her reasons were.

He felt her shift, and her head settled down atop his. "I know that this journey hasn't been easy for you, Winter. I was trying to protect you—protect myself—from my greatest regret." She was quiet for a few moments afterwards before she asked, "Do you still wish to save the Skywing Queen?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

She let out a deep breath. "I was afraid you would say that. We would have to contend with Faredir to save her…if it isn't too late already. Are you absolutely sure?"

He leaned back out of her embrace and gazed into her eyes, "I made a promise, Aurora, to her and her son. I won't go back on a promise…even if it costs my life."

She frowned at him, "You may be okay with sacrificing yourself for a noble purpose, but I would appreciate it if you didn't." She placed a paw over his heart as she stared deep into his eyes. "There's two of us in here now, remember?" she whispered to him.

He reached up with his own claws and wrapped them around hers without breaking eye contact. He guided their claws upwards and only closed his eyes when he felt her paw on his cheek. He leaned into her touch when she began caressing his cheek with her thumb.

When he opened his eyes, they were filled with confusion, "Why do I feel this way around you now, Aurora?" he whispered. "Why do I miss you when you're gone? Why do I feel happier with you than the dragon I have loved for eight years?"

She smiled at him, gently, "Because my essence is a part of you, Winter. You are feeling not only your emotions, but mine as well. Your love for Moon is as true as love can be, yet you can no more hate a part of yourself than you can hate her." She leaned forward ever so slightly before closing her eyes with a sigh and backing away a few steps, not meeting his confused gaze. "I apologize, Winter, but I wouldn't feel right. You know as well as I that your heart belongs to another."

He smiled at her, affectionately, as his claw again made it to the area above his heart. Aurora closed her eyes with a content sigh as she glowed ever so gently. "No, Aurora. My heart literally belongs to you."

She opened her eyes and looked at him, "What of Moon? Have you abandoned the idea of a relationship with her?"

He shook his head in slight amusement, "I've spent too long chasing after her. For now, if she wants me, she'll be the one doing the chasing. What happened this morning has opened my eyes, and I've made my decision. I—"

He saw her gaze fly over to the doorway, and she disappeared as someone else stepped in. "Winter, we need to talk!" Winter narrowed his eyes at Cliff's sudden intrusion and the anger evident in his tone. "We've been idle for too long! I placed my trust in you because you said you could save my tribe and my mother! You haven't given me a single reason why I should continue to place my trust in you because of your obvious incapability!"

Winter got up with a dangerous gaze but didn't say anything as he began walking away. He would deal with Cliff later.

"HEY, I'M TALKING TO YOU!" the Skywing yelled, furious.

Winter stopped and turned around. His voice when he replied was laced with barely contained rage. "Do not make the mistake that you are the only dragon here that cares about Ruby."

Cliff's nostrils flared in outrage, "That's _Queen_ Ruby to you, Icewing!" When Cliff took another second to mull over Winter's words, however, realization flashed through his expression. "You said you were going to seduce someone at that party…" Winter shifted his gaze away as Cliff stumbled upon the truth. "You—" His eyes went wild, and he lunged at Winter. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Winter ducked under the flying lunge, but Cliff's tail smacked him across the face as he sailed overhead. Winter shook his head in surprise and just barely managed to dodge underneath a wing-slice and block his following slash._ Stars above, he actually IS trying to kill me!_

The others had run over to see what was happening by this point, and Flint rushed forward to tackle Cliff. "WAIT DON'T—" Cataclysm yelled, but it was too late. Cliff's attention had shifted to the Mudwing, and he shifted his stance ever so slightly. The Skywing spun to the right at the last second, and his wing-talon slashed across Flint's neck before his tail wrapped around his angle, tripping the Mudwing but stumbling himself.

The Mudwing hit the ground and slid to the other wall with a trail of blood slowly leaking from the wound on his neck. This time, Winter was the one who lunged at the now-dazed Skywing. With more strength and ferocity than Winter thought he possessed, he grabbed Cliff by the horn and threw his head into the marble wall, cracking both the wall and Cliff's horn, before sending him flying into the wall again with a punch.

Desperate, Cliff sent a wing at him wildly, but Winter caught it and, with a snarl, twisted it backwards so forcefully while pushing cliff away with his other arm that the muscle in his wing-joint could be heard audibly tearing and the bone snapped under the pressure. Cliff screamed in agony and he collapsed to the ground, whimpering.

The Icewing raised his talons and brought them slashing towards Cliff's face when someone grabbed his claws before they could hit their target. He whirled around with a snarl, intending to gut whoever dared to interfere before he stopped. "That's enough, Winter! He's learned his lesson; you don't have to kill him!" Hailstorm's tone was firm, but his expression indicated that he held no pity for the Skywing prince.

Winter wrested his claws away from Hailstorm and rushed over to Flint. He sighed in relief when he saw that more muscle than vital artery was cut. It still needed healing, though, and the sooner the better. "Someone get the healing stone!" he ordered.

It was a few minutes later when Moon passed him the stone. He nodded to her in thanks before getting to work. Within a few seconds, the wound stitched itself together. Flint was still unconscious, though, and he highly doubted that they could move the massive Mudwing to a more comfortable spot.

With nothing else to do but sit and wait for him to wake, Winter laid by his brother's side. "What about Cliff?" Cataclysm asked. "He needs healing, too!"

Winter sneered at her, "Let him suffer!"

Moon settled herself beside him and looked at him with sorrow-filled eyes. "Give me the stone, Winter," she whispered, gently.

He looked at her with a hint of anger. "He almost killed Flint! He tried to kill me! Why would I should I show him any mercy!?"

"Do you think Ruby would ever forgive you if she found out you killed her son?" she asked in the same caring tone.

He looked at her in surprise, and he shifted his gaze, not willing to look at her anymore. "How did you find out?" he asked in a whisper.

She chuckled, "I'm a mind-reader, Winter. I found out as soon as you took your skyfire off when you opened the gate for us in the city."

"You aren't mad at me for that?" he asked, uncertainly.

She shook her head. "No, because I know that wasn't love between you. It was lust, plain and simple."

"If everyone is quite done trying to kill each other, can we please move on?" a new, deep voice asked. Winter looked to see a ghostly Mudwing that looked bigger than any dragon he had ever seen. "Step aside, Champion of Ice. Let me tend to my chosen."

Winter stood up and stepped back. He watch in absolute amazement as the Mudwing Spirit healed him completely. Flint awoke with a gasp, but the Spirit shook his head in defeat. "I can't form a connection, Aurora. It seems that with but a single anchor left in existence, only one Champion can stand with the Spirits in this fight."

Winter looked behind him to see the Sandwing and Skywing Spirits checking on Blaze and Cataclysm respectively. Nobody seemed to notice them or the Mudwing except for Winter himself. Both were shaking their heads. "It's possible there could be a second Champion, Sediment. Shade was hopeful about Darkstalker. That dragon isn't exactly normal, by any means." Aurora stated with a sense of hope.

The Mudwing grunted but didn't argue. "It's _always_ you and Shade that do everything, Aurora!" The Skywing said hotly.

The Sandwing smacked him in the back of the head with his paw, "Show some respect, Stratos! It's no secret that Aurora is the most powerful, aye, but that's only because she was the first Spirit!"

"The most powerful?" the Skywing scoffed. "I do believe you forgot one rather large detail," he sneered.

Aurora growled at him, "I didn't choose you to be Hurricane's successor just so you could whine about every little think you don't like! Grow up! I'm not above replacing you should you continue to disprove my belief in your abilities."

Stratos growled dangerously before disappearing. With a sigh, the Mudwing followed suit. The Sandwing walked up to Aurora, "For the record, I believe your Champion has the right idea about savin' the Queen. I don't look forward to facin' Faredir, but I will do what is necessary to prevent the Skywings from falling. We'll need 'em if we're to have any hope of success." The Sandwing then turned to Winter, "Aurora has placed the fate of the world in your claws. Do us a favor, don't screw this up."

Winter dipped his head in both respect and acknowledgement. The Sandwing's lips played up into a light smile before he disappeared as well, leaving only Aurora. The other dragons in the room were staring at him as if he was crazy. "Aurora? What was all that about?"

She smirked at him. "Reinforcements," she stated, plainly. "All seven of the Spirits will fight beside you in the coming battle tomorrow."

"Battle?" Cataclysm asked. "What battle?" She paused as her eyes flew open in surprise. "Why doesn't my leg hurt anymore?"

"We cannot hope to defeat both Faredir _and_ his army. We _can_, however, buy you enough time to rescue the Skywing Queen from her imprisonment and escape safely."

"Wait a minute," Winter shook his head, trying to comprehend this new rush of information. "How much time will we have?"

She was silent for a moment as she thought to herself. "Faredir is a fearsome opponent, so I can only safely guarantee about thirty minutes. Any longer than that, and there will be no guarantee about getting out again."

Everyone looked at her with grim faces. Hailstorm was the one who broke the silence, "So, Winter…what's the plan?" His voice was filled with no small amount of nervousness.

Winter stared at Hailstorm, doing a few calculations in his head, before an idea came to mind. He looked at his brother, uncertainly. "I've got an idea, but it I need Pyrite to make it work."

**AN: I know a lot of you probably thought of this as more filler, but I prefer to think of it as 'The calm before the storm.' There's going to be a lot of action in the next chapter, so be looking forward to that. Hailstorm is finally opening up to and becoming more accepting of Winter's non-Icewing behavior.**

**I've got a question for you based on that, though. Should Hailstorm embrace Pyrite and make the enchantment permanent or should he try to beat his 'addiction' to the necklace? Tell me what you think about that.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	20. Chapter 19

Dragons Change

**AN: So apparently when I said a few days, I meant a week. In my defense, it is unbelievably hard to pick back up on a story-especially one as long and complex as this one-after two months without any progress on it. Though, the important thing is that it's finally done and the journey can continue.**

**On a sidenote, if you find a spot a little over halfway through where the writing quality or style seems to dip, you're probably at the part where I left it and then picked back up two months later. So apologies if it's noticeable. I tried my hardest to stay consistent, but like I said, it's difficult.**

**Second, if you have any Seawing OCs that you want cameos or possible side character positions for, feel free to submit their profile in a review.**

**Third, the drama bomb just nuked the end of this chapter, so enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint, Aurora and the other Spirits, and Faredir belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to their owner Frostbite15. Cover art for the story created and owned by beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 19:

The next morning found everyone save Hailstorm gathered in the cave where they had originally met Cliff. Speaking of which, the Skywing prince wasn't exactly happy with the situation. _I mean, he's probably happy to be saving his mother…just not with me being the one in charge of the rescue._

He understood, of course. He did get a little…violent during the fight. Aurora had ordered Stratos to heal the prince, and the Skywing Spirit did so, albeit grudgingly. _There's something about him that I don't trust, but I can't place my talon on it._

"How much longer are we supposed to sit here!?" Winter rolled his eyes at Cliff's outburst. Thankfully, Cataclysm shushed him, but now there were a few glances his way.

He sighed in exasperation but walked outside to judge the position of the sun. When he walked back in, he addressed them, "Pyrite still has two hours until her deadline at mid-day. Until she's here, we wait."

"Why can't we just go now?" Blaze asked, curious.

"We can't very well rescue the Queen if we don't even know where the Queen is," he stated without looking at her. Instead, his gaze was to the distant city as he rubbed the area above his heart. It was starting to become a habit of his. He became acutely aware of the anxiety and nervousness radiating from Aurora upon touching that spot.

"Are you okay, Winter?" Flint asked, slightly worried, beside him. He looked up at the Mudwing, confused, before he realized what he meant.

He replaced his talons on the ground. "Yeah," he whispered, "It's just a habit." Flint nodded but didn't move until Winter asked for some time alone. He walked outside and took flight for a moment before landing on a slightly higher ledge. He was silent for a moment as he gazed at the city on the distant horizon before he decided to break it. "There's no shame in being afraid, Aurora," he spoke, gently.

She appeared beside him with a frown. "Yes, there is. I'm supposed to be protecting you from our enemies, but I know that I can't protect you from Faredir," she spoke quietly but Winter had no trouble hearing her over the echoing chatter of the others in the cave below them.

"You won't be alone, though," he pointed out. "The other Spirits are with you…and so am I." She smiled at him lightly before she looked away with a sad sigh. He wrapped a wing around her, and she relaxed ever so slightly. _I never got the chance to finish what I wanted to say to her. Does she know? I bet she does if that cheeky grin is any sign._

She laughed for a moment before she lowered her head and placed it atop his. "Of course I know, Winter. You can't keep secrets from me, after all. You are as much a part of me as I, you."

He smirked, mischievously. "I guess there's no reason for me to say it, then, since you already know."

She feigned being hurt, "You would deny me my happiness? You would refuse to say the words I have longed to hear?" She backed away a few steps with mock indignation. His smirk, however, was replaced by a surprised expression. As he continued to stare at her in disbelief, her grin fell, too. "Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned, all joking put aside for now.

"How long have you waited?" she tilted her head to show confusion, so he continued. "How long have you waited for me to 'say the words you longed to hear?'"

Understanding dawned upon her and she sighed. "I suppose it was that moment on the balcony in the Skywing Palace. You were so broken at my leaving…" she trailed off, but he didn't really need her to continue.

He had heard enough.

"I didn't know," he whispered. "If we can feel each other's emotions, why didn't I ever know?" She looked at him but didn't answer. In fact, he couldn't even feel her anymore. Understanding was quick to follow, "You were blocking me," he said, confused. "Why?"

She stopped blocking him from her inner thoughts and feelings before she answered, "At the time, your heart belonged to another." That time, he barely heard her, and he looked away in shame.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to her. "But it doesn't belong to her anymore. I—"

"Hey, Winter!" Flint yelled up. "Hailsto—I mean Pyrite is coming back!"

The Icewing's jaw was clenched in fury. _EVERY TIME!_ Aurora giggled at his expense but disappeared before he could say anything more to her. Without another option, he flew back down to the cave in a slightly more sour mood.

While he sat there waiting for her to land, he reflected on his choice to tell Pyrite the truth. She was so innocent like Kinkajou used to be, and now that he had told her the truth, she was more scared of what might happen to her and everyone else. He felt terrible for not only exposing her to the truth but also for exposing Hailstorm's secret.

Flint understood—as Winter knew he would—but Moon did, too, surprisingly. He didn't know why but neither would he ask. It wasn't any of his business anyways. When Pyrite landed a few minutes later, she immediately took off her necklace and Hailstorm was once more among them. "So do you want the good news, the bad news, or the worse news?" he asked.

"How about we start with the good news?" suggested Cataclysm, with more than a touch of sarcasm.

Hailstorm nodded. "The Queen is still alive, but she's being held prisoner in her own room. The bad news: the patrols have at least tripled and the entire city is under martial law. The worse news: The Changewings aren't even try to hide themselves anymore. Faredir has claimed lordship over the entire Sky Kingdom and the entire Skywing military is under his command. I heard that they're about to launch an attack on the Rainforest."

Winter's expression turned grave. Glory was a great Queen but her tribes didn't have the strength to contend with such a massive force. "We should warn her," he stated, resolutely.

The others nodded until Aurora appeared and interjected. "She knows. Shade has passed on the message upon my request, but he will be here in time to face our enemy."

"So what exactly are _we _to do?" Flint asked. "Seven dragons can't defeat an entire army."

"Perhaps you seven alone can't," a new voice sounded. The ghostly Mudwing from earlier was standing there in the cave with them now. "But we can buy you enough time to do what needs to be done."

"Aye," the Sandwing Spirit, who appeared next, affirmed. "We'll be standin' with all of you as well." Everyone was looking around in wonder at the two new Spirits, followed by the Seawing, Skywing, and Rainwing Spirits.

Winter couldn't help but smile when Aurora stepped forward in all of her splendid glory, "Today is the day that the seven Spirits once more return to Pyrrhia! Today is the day that the old legends and stories are proven to be true! Queen Ruby of the Skywings is essential to the survival of our hope for the future! We must not fail!"

Sediment went and stood by Flint, Stratos stood by Cataclysm, and Arena stood by Blaze. The Spirits whose Champions weren't here instead stood next to Aurora and Winter. Flint and the others were absolutely dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events, but it was Arena who broke the silence. "Certainty of death…small chance of success…" he shrugged nonchalantly, "What are we waitin' for?"

Everyone looked at Winter. His gaze switched between all of those gathered. "If we are to succeed," he started, "Remember: Act smart, stick together, stay alive…but don't be an idiot!" With that said and grim resolve in the eyes of the group as his answer, he turned around and launched into the sky. _This is it, Aurora. You have my back, right?_

He could feel the devotion in her voice when she answered. _Always._

The plan was actually quite simple. Most of them would create a distraction near the main gate of the city while he, Aurora, Cliff, and Shade would break off from the main skirmish and make their way through the castle—hopefully undetected—and rescue Ruby.

And what better way to announce their presence than by walking through the front gate?

They garnered a few angry words from the dragons waiting in line to get in but they quieted significantly when they saw the guards at the gate raise their spears…and the alarm. Within seconds, another platoon was blocking their way in. "Resistance is futile! Surrender or die!"

"Sediment, Arena, you know what to do," Aurora addressed them. They nodded at her and then at each other. The Mudwing Spirit slammed his fist into the ground, followed by the Sandwing Spirit doing the same.

An orange and brown shockwave raced along the ground and every dragon present looked around in both confusion and slight fear. That quickly changed to terrified screaming when the ground started shaking violently. The buildings stayed standing, but there were visible cracks forming upon them as the ground continued to shake.

A furious roar was heard coming from the palace. "I think he knows we're here," Oceania stated dryly. A large red dragon launched itself into the air as they continued to watch. The ground stopped shaking at this point, and the civilians and guards in the area slowly got to their feet.

"We have to get the civilians out of here!" Flint yelled.

Sediment turned his head to acknowledge him before nodding sharply in agreement. He looked at Aurora, and she gave him her silent acceptance. Winter was a bit confused until the dragons near them started either screaming again or looking on with bewildered expressions. A few even bowed. "I would suggest that all of you evacuate the area!" Sediment yelled.

He received no argument as most dragons immediately took flight away from the city. Faredir's Skywing form landed in front of them. "You dare to attack my city?" he questioned, sounding as much surprised as furious.

"This isn't your city, Faredir," Aurora spoke. His blazing eyes locked on her, and Winter felt her composure crack ever so slightly. He placed a talon on her shoulder as a show of support.

The massive Skywing saw this, though, and a wicked grin spread across his lips. "I see you have returned to your ways of hypocrisy. I'll make his death as painful as I made his namesake's."

Aurora growled. "You will _not_ harm him, Faredir! You will not harm _anybody, _anymore!" Everyone except Faredir got into a battle position at that.

He looked at all of them dismissively. "You can't kill me, Aurora. None of the Spirits can, and your little band of misfits doesn't stand a chance against the power that I possess. _I,_ however, can kill every single one of you. Since I'm feeling somewhat generous today, I'll give you one chance to surrender and unlock my father's prison."

"And what would be left of the world when he returns!?" Winter challenged. "A cold, dead world ruled over by undead monstrosities!?"

Faredir studied him for a moment before answering. "Not so. Those who submit to my father's rule will share in a grand utopia of his making. All dragons will be treated as equals as long as they recognize Him as their one, true leader."

"And for those who don't submit?" Flint challenged.

As an answer, Faredir gathered a purple aura in his talons before answering, "I would think you of all dragons would know, _Flint_." Immediately after, he swept his claws backwards through the air with a mighty war-cry.

Flint went flying backwards and landed with a groan. Winter's concerned expression shifted to one of rage, "THAT'S IT!"

Sediment, Arena, Oceania, and Stratos launched forwards and engaged Faredir in battle. Another roar sounded from the large Skywing and guards began charging their location from across the city. Hailstorm, Cataclysm, Blaze, and Flint—when he regained his breath—engaged the first few guards. Winter jumped to the side as purple lightning that came from an unnatural storm summoned by Faredir began striking the area around the battlefield.

"We have to go!" Cliff yelled. "We stay any longer, and we won't be able to save my mother in time!"

Winter nodded. The Spirits could take care of everything for now. "Make sure they all get out of this alive, Arena!" Aurora yelled. The Sandwing Spirit grunted in acknowledgement before he started shouting out orders.

Winter and Cliff took off towards the palace, but Faredir noticed their escape, "You can run, you can hide, but YOU WILL STILL DIE, WINTER! AFTER THEM!" Several guards split from the main battle and began flying after them as other groups running towards the battle shifted their attention to his group.

As they ran, Aurora took this time to remind them of a crucial detail, "Without Shade or I there to help them, they won't be able to last long, outnumbered as they are! We must be quick, for every second we delay is another chance for Faredir to kill one of our friends!"

He acknowledged her but didn't look back as he and Cliff dodged their assailants and continued making their way to the palace. They didn't have time to fight them all off, and they would be surrounded the moment they stopped or slowed down. Changewings in their true forms chased them on the ground as 'Skywings' swooped down at them from above.

Aurora did a magnificent job covering them, but if his own heavy breathing was a sign, she was beginning to tire from holding off so many by herself. "We need cover!" Winter shouted.

"There's nothing we can do until we get to the palace, but it'll be quicker if we fly!" Winter shook his head immediately. He may be a fast flyer for an Icewing, but he still didn't stand a chance at out-flying a Skywing.

"Where's Shade?" Winter questioned Aurora. "I thought you said that he would be here!"

Aurora had just frozen another two diving Skywings that shattered into millions of pieces upon impacting the ground when she answered. "He's closer than you think!" She didn't elaborate further as her attention was once again diverted by a small group of Changewing infiltrators. She lunged at them with a savage roar as Winter kept running.

The two skidded to a stop upon seeing a familiar and unwelcome dragon standing in their way. The unnatural green eyes made it impossible to mistake who this was. "Ashkey," Cliff growled. He turned to Winter, "I'll handle her. You keep going!"

Winter nodded before launching himself straight up. He had confidence in Aurora's ability to protect him for the short flight to the fifth floor, but a Skywing got a lucky shot off and singed his back left leg. He landed upon the balcony with a pained grunt, entered the room, and immediately blocked the door by pushing a large piece of furniture in front of it. He scanned the room and saw Ruby unconscious and tied up on her bed. He ran over to her and began cutting her bonds, causing her to stir.

"What are you doing here!?" she yelled at him, almost in hysterics.

"I'm getting you out of here!" He said back with conviction.

Ruby's gaze kept scanning the room. "Look out!" she yelled, fear obvious from her tone.

The warning came too late as someone tackled him and threw him out of a stained glass window that he hadn't noticed before. He landed on his back in the throne room five floors down—blasting the air out of his lungs and threatening to knock him unconscious. Shards of glass rained down on him as he fought to stay awake with a massive groan.

The sound of wing beats echoed through the room before someone landed next to him. The next thing he knew, he was being lifted into the air and then thrown into the wall. He began seeing stars before talons squeezed themselves around his neck. He began choking. "It's too bad Moon isn't here," the dreaded voice of his enemy whispered. "I would have enjoyed breaking her."

"Release him!" Aurora shouted. Through his muddled senses, he could feel her hatred for this Skywing and determination to protect him.

Hellstorm shifted his gaze to her, "Lord Faredir has made his wishes quite clear. You know what you must do. If you wish to save his life, you must take your own, Aurora…And don't bother trying to attack me. I'll kill him as soon as you make a move." She looked at Winter as he looked back at her, his vision finally cleared enough to see her. She looked at her talons in thought before looking at him. He shook his head, horrified that she was even considering this. "If you will not, then there is no hope for his survival."

She glared at him, "There is always hope!"

Winter felt a strange sensation throughout his entire body. It wasn't unpleasant, but neither was it a particularly nice feeling. He fell to the floor when Hellstorm dropped him and backed away in shock. "What is this!?" the large Skywing demanded.

Winter watched as Shade—not Aurora—jumped out of him and attacked their enemy. He blinked several times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Shade was attacking Hellstorm with a ferociousness he had never seen out of the Nightwing Spirit before. The Skywing was on the defensive, but he hadn't yet been injured from his opponent's ferocity.

"Umm…" he trailed off, stupidly. _Focus, Winter! There are more important things to take care of first! _ Aurora yelled at him.

He shook himself to clear his head and observed the fight before him. Aurora had joined in the fight, yet Hellstorm still hadn't been injured. He furrowed his eye ridge in confusion. _There's no way he could hold off both of them…unless…_

He noticed a random spear laying on the ground. He picked it up and tested the weight before throwing it at the Skywing. It flew true and struck him behind his front left leg—an injury that would have left him near incapacitated—but the spear merely bounced off. "He has impenetrable scales! He's stalling for time!" he yelled to the two Spirits.

Hellstorm snarled that his plan had been discovered. He dropped his charade and let Shade and Aurora attack him to no effect as he stormed over to Winter. "You are too observant for your own good, Winter! I was ordered not to kill you, but I will not let you leave here, either!"

Winter began backing away from Hellstorm's slow yet steady advance while looking around frantically for a possible solution to this latest conundrum. _Alright, Winter, think! How do you hurt a dragon with impenetrable scales?_ Another tremor shook the castle. He stumbled and glanced up as dust and rubble fell from the ceiling. He did a double-take.

_The chandelier!_ _Aurora, drop the chandelier on him! I'll get him into position! _ Her confirmation flowed through their link. With his own plan in mind, Winter slowed his retreat and let Hellstorm close the distance. Without warning, Winter lunged forward and saw his enemy's surprise before the larger Skywing braced himself.

The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air without using his wings. A large shard of glass impaled his burned thigh upon impact and he just barely contained the pained scream from tearing out of his throat. "Well that could have gone better," he grunted. With no other choice, he reached back and yanked out the glass shard from his leg. A steady flow of blood followed its removal.

He clenched his jaw in pain and didn't see the fist that sent him sprawling onto the ground next to the nearby wall. He was grabbed by the throat and the next thing he saw was Hellstorm's snarling visage right in his face. The Skywing's grip was strong enough to prevent escape but not enough to cause him to black out. He saw Shade and Aurora watching with bated breath. They knew there was nothing that they could do to help. If even _they _couldn't hurt Hellstorm, than that probably meant that Faredir had shielded him from their attacks somehow.

"What makes you so special?" he snarled. "Why is it that the Spirits themselves take an interest in you?" There was no small amount of hatred in his voice.

Winter looked straight into his eye and answered, "Nothing. I'm just doing what I believe is right." In a move so sudden that Hellstorm didn't even have time to react, Winter stabbed the shard of glass he was able to hold onto into Hellstorm's remaining eye.

The Skywing howled in terrified agony. Hellstorm dropped Winter and backed away as he scratched at his face in sheer terror. "Shade!" he called.

The Nightwing Spirit nodded without the need for instruction and jumped into action. He tackled the panicking Skywing before rolling out of the way. Aurora—who was already in the air at Winter's call—breathed ice upon the chain holding the chandelier up. The chain snapped almost immediately so powerful was Aurora's frostbreath.

Winter watched the chandelier fall from almost four floors up. He turned his head and closed his eyes before impact. The sounds of snapping bones, however, was something he couldn't block out. _Impenetrable scales are useless against that kind of crushing force it seems._

"Aurora?" he called without looking away from the grisly scene. She landed beside him and he shifted his attention to her. "Can you go check on the Queen? Make sure she's alright."

She looked between him and Hellstorm's body once before placing a comforting paw on his shoulder and nodded. She turned away before hesitating for a moment. She glanced back at him for but a moment before flying back up to the fifth floor.

Shade walked up to him as he stepped towards the body. He had expected the transformation to start by now, but the body was changing. That meant one of two things: either by some miracle Hellstorm was still alive…or he actually was a Skywing. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, Winter, but there are some dragons that would do anything for power."

Winter nodded, "It's just hard to imagine that anyone could be so…"

"Evil?" Shade finished. Winter nodded again. There was a momentary silence as Winter checked the body for a pulse, just to make sure. Hellstorm was dead. For now, there was one less dragon out to hurt him and Moon. "Aurora is our leader, Winter. We all care about her, so I want you to know that all of us will do what it takes to protect you. She's been through enough as it is."

Winter studied him for a moment, contemplating what he had just heard, before he decided to ask, "Shouldn't you be more…disgruntled by the situation? I thought it was forbidden."

Shade was about to answer when his attention was diverted upwards as Aurora and Ruby came in for a landing. "We can talk more later, Winter, if you wish," Shade replied. Winter nodded at him in acceptance before turning to regard Aurora and Ruby.

Aurora had a bit of a sympathetic look on her face as she gazed at Ruby. The Queen for her part was staring at Hellstorm's body with an unreadable look. She then turned to Winter, "It seems that there is much more to you than I previously thought. The Spirit tells me that I must abandon my kingdom…and my citizens. So I ask you this, Winter: Will you give me your word that we WILL return to free my tribe?"

Winter glanced at Aurora for a second before nodding at Ruby. "You have my word that we—that I—will do everything possible to save your tribe and the rest of Pyrrhia from these invaders."

"We must go now," Aurora stated. "We must regroup in the Sea Kingdom as soon as possible."

Winter nodded, "Shade, see if you can find Cliff." Ruby's gaze snapped over to him at that. "He was engaged with Ashkey at the front gate when I left him." The Nightwing Spirit bowed his head in acceptance before disappearing from his sight. "Let's regroup with the others and get out of here."

He took the lead as he ran through the palace halls. Corpses were scattered through the halls—no doubt Shade's doing. As they came upon the front gates to the palace, they noticed that the doors had been heavily damaged and thrown open by some force. Winter noticed Shade standing on the other side of the door and their eyes met. The Nightwing Spirit shook his head.

Winter's expression fell and his shoulders slumped. He scanned the ground just to be sure, but there was no sign of Cliff's _or_ Ashkey's body. "They took him, didn't they?" he asked Aurora. She nodded solemnly before walking over to Shade. "I'm sorry, Ruby, but he gave me the time needed to rescue you. I just wish I could have done more."

Ruby's expression was unreadable but the slight shudder in her shoulders told him everything he needed to know about her state of emotion right now. "I believe that we are supposed to be abandoning my city?" Her words were cutting, but he understood the reason for her angered response.

"Aurora, ready for round two?" he asked her. She smirked and they all began running towards the area with the most devastation where the fight continued. This time, there was much less opposition. Most of the force had to have been defeated then…

But that didn't make sense…

Several thousand soldiers don't just up and disappear. Where was the main force? He slowed his pace and looked around in confusion. The others noticed and turned back around. "Why have we stopped?" Ruby asked, frustrated.

"Look up," he replied.

The others did so. "The skies are empty," Aurora pointed out. "Where did—"

"Perhaps our answer will reveal itself closer to the nearby sounds of battle…" Shade suggested.

Instead of running, they settled into a jog. When they got closer to the wall without any opposition still, Winter stared dumbfounded. The Skywings and Changewings were engaged not only with the rest of their group and the Spirits but also with an army of Nightwings and Rainwings with Queen Glory herself at the vanguard.

"This is impossible," he mumbled. "It takes two days to fly between here and the rainforest. How could they get here in less than an hour?"

Aurora gave Shade a knowing look, so Winter looked at him for clarification. "I may have opened a Shadowgate for Queen Glory's army…She was quite insistent."

Faredir was nowhere to be seen, though, so now was the best time to retreat. First things first, though. "Round everyone up. We need to get out of here NOW! I'll tell Glory to sound the retreat." He took to the skies followed by Ruby as Aurora and Shade went to gather their friends from within the chaos of battle.

From above, it seemed as if the Changewings were disorganized and confused. It seemed that without a strong leader, they would break easily. The Nightwing's close range assault and the Rainwings long range venom support seemed to be doing just that. Seeing themselves on the losing side, a few Changewings were even surrendering.

Against all odds, Glory had actually won this battle. If this was a normal enemy, this could have been the end, but it wasn't and isn't. Faredir would return with another army no doubt, and Pyrrhia had to be prepared.

"Queen Glory!" he called out when he was close enough.

She looked up in surprise as she turned to him. "Winter? Fancy meeting you here. I can't tell if trouble follows you around or if you go out and look for it." She smirked, "I guess it doesn't matter. It makes for an interesting time at least."

"What is the status of your force? How many casualties have you sustained?" Ruby asked.

Glory narrowed her eyes at the Skywing. "Queen Ruby, I would like to assume that you didn't order an assault on my rainforest."

Winter got between the two as tensions began to rise. Both of the narrowed gazes switched to him for daring to interrupt. He turned to Glory first. "It's a long story—one that I don't have the time to tell you right now—but Ruby didn't order the attack. You talked to Shade, right?"

She nodded, "Yes, I did, but he was rather vague and mysterious. He simply stated that my enemy in the Sky Kingdom declared war upon my tribes. Of course my first thought was Ruby, and I could potentially understand why."

"You could?" Winter asked in surprise.

"I stopped inviting her to my soirees ever since her husband tried to force himself upon me in the hallways." She glared daggers at the Rainwing Queen.

"…He did what?" Winter asked, completely floored by the claim.

"He did not try to force himself upon you!" Glory argued back. "He was drunk—and an idiot—and he was trying to give you a hug for your hatch-day. Yes…he fell on top of you and then licked some spilled wine from your shoulder, but like I said, he was drunk…and an idiot."

"Yeah, that sounds more like him," Winter commented.

"So you're calling me a liar?" Ruby shot back.

Winter gave her his best 'really?' face before turning back to Glory. "I have the dreamvisitor that you sent with Kinkajou. When Flint left to find me, she gave it to him in order to give it to me. I'll make sure to keep in communication with you if that's okay?"

Glory nodded, "Of course. I asked Sunny if I could borrow hers and she let me, so I'll do the same for you if I learn anything I think you should know. In the meantime, I don't think you came here to exchange pleasantries and awkward stories about my husband, so I'll answer your previous question: casualties were extremely minor. Once we arrived, the enemy seemingly lost all sense of order. It was an easy victory."

"Why would Faredir abandon the battle? He probably could have wiped your entire force out if he wanted." Winter thought to himself out loud. Glory looked between him and Ruby uncomfortably at hearing that.

"Perhaps not," Aurora chimed in. "Arena and Sediment both claim that Faredir wasn't fighting at his full strength. Maybe he was still recovering from our last skirmish? It would explain why he left when our reinforcements appeared."

He thought for a moment, "Maybe, but something doesn't add up…We have more important things to discuss first, though. I think it best that you and your force return to the rainforest, Glory."

"If he's gone, does that mean that I _don't _have to abandon my city?" Ruby asked.

"I wouldn't advise remaining," Aurora stated. "He will doubtless return here. And now that he has your son, it would be easy for him to make you submit once again." Ruby looked away and growled in frustration but didn't argue with Aurora's wisdom.

"And where do you propose we go?" Ruby finally asked in outrage. "Where could we go that he could not follow?"

"The Sea Kingdom," he replied. "There might be an artifact hidden in the depths that could give us the advantage."

"_Might_ be?" she asked, incredulously.

"Do you have a better idea?" Glory asked the Skywing. "We should at least give Winter the benefit of the doubt. If he believes that an artifact worth possessing is in the Sea Kingdom, then we should make haste to find it before the enemy."

"_Thank_ you, Glory, for your support," Winter sighed, exasperatedly.

Ruby was about to respond to the obvious jab when a familiar yet angry voice sounded out, "WINTER!"

"Spirits, what now!?" he huffed.

"You've become awfully popular," Glory stated with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Winter merely grunted as he turned to face a rather livid looking Hailstorm, "What is it now?"

"After everything that we've been through so far, you still don't trust me enough to tell you the truth!" he accused.

Winter's expression immediately shifted from frustration to confusion at Hailstorm's statement. "What are you talking about? I trust you with my life, Hailstorm…but what truth are you referring to?"

Hailstorm replied immediately, "The truth about _this_!" He tossed over an object that Winter caught without looking away from Hailstorm's gaze.

Winter glanced at the object as surprise manifested itself across his expression. It was Flint's armlet. "Flint never takes this off. Why do you have it? Where is he?" He pinned Hailstorm with a glare, but his older brother didn't back down from the challenge.

"Follow me," Hailstorm replied after a moment.

Winter followed Hailstorm for a few minutes before they arrived at a rather interesting scene. Several Nightwings and Rainwings were trying to push past his friends while Sediment looked upon the impending scuffle with a clearly growing sense of anger. The odd part: his group of friends were defending a lone Changewing who was huddled into itself on the ground. It was sobbing rather heavily.

Winter narrowed his eyes at the sight before stepping forward. "What's going on here!" he yelled. Every dragon in the area immediately quieted and looked to him. An unfamiliar Rainwing stepped forward and addressed him.

"According to Queen Glory's law, all Changewing prisoners must be arrested, questioned, and—if necessary—executed to prevent possible future incursions from our enemy. However, your group refuses to stand down and let us do our duty!" the Rainwing captain reported.

Winter studied him for a moment before shifting his gaze to his group of friends. It didn't take him long to realize that someone was missing. He looked around for the familiar large, brown Mudwing when his gaze switched to the Changewing. It was staring at him intently with a sense of…longing?

Winter froze immediately when understanding dawned upon him. He looked down at the armlet in his talons before he shifted his gaze back to the Changewing. It looked down in shame.

The maelstrom of emotions swirling around inside him upon making this discovery forced him to close his eyes and take a deep breath to steady himself. He turned to the Rainwing Captain and spoke absently, "I think Queen Glory can make an exception in this case, Captain. Stand down."

The Rainwing narrowed his eyes, "I don't take orders from you!"

Winter growled dangerously as he bared his teeth at the slightly larger Rainwing. After a few moments, he submitted to Winter's wishes and ordered his dragons to stand down.

With the spears lowered, his friends relaxed and the Changewing raised himself from off the ground. He looked around nervously before cautiously walking towards Winter—who was merely sitting with an unreadable expression.

For his part, Winter could sense Aurora's concern through his own flood of anger and a deep sense of betrayal that he was currently feeling. The Changewing stopped in front of him uncertainly and started saying something before Winter completely lost control and, with a ferocious roar, sent forth a punch that sent the now smaller dragon flailing onto the ground.

"Winter, please!" the now alien voice pleaded with him. The Icewing stalked forward with a dangerous snarl and was about to attack the terrified dragon before Winter stopped suddenly as Moon blocked his path.

"Don't do this, Winter! I know that you're hurting, but I don't need to see the future to know that you'll regret this forever if you continue." He stared her down but she didn't once crack under his glare. She placed a claw over his heart, and he looked down at the source of the contact. "Please, Winter…" she pleaded.

"Did you know?" he asked lowly.

She nodded after a moment's hesitation, and he drew back as if she had just burned him. Cataclysm tried next. "Don't take it out on him, Winter, please. He's still your brother, and you know not all of us are bad."

Winter studied her for a minute before looking intently at the Changewing. "We'll be having a nice, long talk later. I suggest thinking about what you want to say to me." He turned away before saying one more thing, "We leave for the Sea Kingdom within the hour."

He walked away without another word. He didn't get far before Aurora intercepted him. "Why are you so angry, Winter?" she asked, worried. "He may look different, but that Changewing is still Flint—the dragon you've called brother for the last eight years."

He whirled around at her and she flinched in surprise, "Is he!? For all I know the last eight years have been a lie! We've seen that the Changewings were trying to get close to the other members of the Jade Winglet and the Dragonets of Destiny."

"Then how would you explain Raven?" she countered. "She didn't know the truth about Flint, and we both know the _she _was an actual infiltrator." She placed a claw on his shoulder and continued in a gentle tone. "I know that you feel betrayed, Winter, but you must believe me when I say that the past eight years weren't a lie. It was all _real_."

"Why do I get the feeling you knew about it, too?" he asked, rhetorically.

"Because I did," she replied. He tried to turn away in a huff, but she grabbed him and forced him to look at her. "Look at me when I'm talking to you! Yes, I knew the truth, as did Moon, as did everyone else but you."

"Everyone knew!?" he asked in outrage. She nodded. "Except for me!? Why not!?"

"Because you're acting like a dragonet!" she stated, annoyance beginning to creep into her voice. "Now grow up and start acting like the dragon I chose to be my Champion!"

His anger shifted to her as he forced himself out of her grip, "And why should I!? Twice before you've kept the truth from me and then promised to always tell me no matter what. Now you've kept the truth from me again. I'm starting to sense a pattern here, Aurora."

"What are you talking about?" she asked with a raised eye ridge.

He just sneered and walked away. This time she didn't try to stop him. He stormed through the ranks of Rainwing and Nightwing soldiers without any particular destination in mind. He already regretted all of the things he said to everyone. They were just trying to help, he knew, but he wasn't good at controlling his anger when it came out.

He needed to calm down somehow. Usually he would talk with someone, but who exactly could he talk to? He was pissed at both Flint and Aurora. He didn't know Cataclysm well enough to confide in her. Glory was too busy getting her troops ready to leave to talk with him. Things were still kind of awkward between him and Blaze. He wasn't comfortable talking about things like this to Hailstorm yet, and Moon probably didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but that's not true, Winter." He froze at the unexpected voice and turned around in surprise. "I know you like to talk to someone when your angry or upset, so I'm offering to listen."

He looked at her skeptically, "May I ask why?"

She stopped just in front of him and answered, "Because I need to talk to you, too…if that's okay?" He nodded after a moment's hesitation and motioned for her to follow him. They walked to a relatively secluded area away from all of the soldiers.

When he stopped and turned to her, he took a minute to compose himself before speaking. _This is going to be so awkward,_ he thought. "Would…Would you like to go first, Moon?"

She nodded, "Yes. I wanted to say I'm sorry for acting the way I have been." He cocked his head in surprise and slight confusion. "The way you reacted with learning Flint's secret reminded me of your reaction to when I told you the truth about…us. It made me realize that I couldn't blame you anymore. You don't like to be lied to and I…knew you didn't know the truth, but I didn't want to tell you because I was…afraid to lose you, too."

_Well, you did, though, didn't you._ He couldn't stop the thought from springing up unbidden. He saw her look away in shame. "I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"It's okay," she interrupted. "You're right. I was wrong to blame you, and you have every reason to be angry with me, but I wanted to say that I don't want to be angry anymore. I want us to be friends again, Winter. I've lost too many already to start throwing away those who still care about me."

He sighed in relief. "I'm glad we can start moving on from that…episode, but you know things between us can't go back to the way they were, right?" She nodded, though her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. A moment of silence fell between them before Winter broke it, "You're right that I don't like being lied to," she bowed her head in regret, but he continued, "but I appreciate that you finally told me the truth."

She looked up at him in surprise before another flash of guilt crossed her features. "Not all of it," she whispered. He cocked his head, not understanding. She seemed to struggle with some internal conflict before she closed her eyes with a sad sigh—seemingly resigning herself to what was to come. "The Changewing who posed as Qibli for all of those years broke my spirit. I was in his control," she began.

"When I found you and realized that you still had feelings for me, I…" a few tears started to fall down her cheek at her imminent confession of guilt. "I wanted to be the one in control. I—I used your emotions against you a-and I'm s-so s-sorr-ry!"

Winter stared at her in utter, absolute, and sheer disbelief as she broke down next to him. Looking back, he could think of several instances where it seemed like she had manipulated him: when her mother died, when she asked him to kill 'Mangrove', possibly even when he had killed 'Qibli' and she had been angry with him.

He had been about ready to accuse Aurora of using him like a puppet, yet the true puppet-master was sitting in front of him confessing her guilt. It was a strange feeling to know that the mild-tempered, shy dragoness he used to know had become so manipulative and conniving. However, he found that he couldn't exactly say he didn't understand. He was absolutely _furious_, but he understood—in part. He had been through enough experiences to know that perspective in life is the key to understanding.

That Changewing had put her through three years of hell, so it's no wonder she felt insecure about her place. She had forgotten what it was like to be loved, so she wanted what she had received.

Control.

Despite the tempest of fury raging in his heart, he picked her off the ground and wrapped her in his embrace. "You should have told me," he whispered. "I can't forget this, Moon," her breath stopped as he continued, "neither can I forgive you—not yet. Perhaps in time I could, but I think it's best—for everyone—if you return to the rainforest with Glory for now." With that, he broke away from her and walked away without another word—even when she begged for him to come back.

He had never expected this outcome when he agreed to talk with Moon, and he briefly wondered if he would ever be able to trust her again. As he observed the first groups of Rainwing and Nightwing soldiers lifting off into the air for the return journey home, he realized that it didn't matter right now.

It seemed that his and Moon's destinies had been entwined…but never joined. Now, their journeys diverged and he had no idea if they would cross again. Perhaps they would, and the two of them could go back to being friends like Moon wanted.

As of now, though, he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. It seems the old stereotypes about Nightwings being lying and manipulative held some truth to them._ I was a fool to believe she was different._

After all, stereotypes have to come from somewhere.

He walked back over to his group. Flint wouldn't meet his eyes and he felt slightly guilty about that, so Winter tossed the armlet over to him. It landed on the ground with a small bounce, yet Flint made no move to pick it up. Instead, he looked at the Icewing in confusion. "I believe that belongs to you," Winter said in a soft yet curt tone.

Flint picked it up but didn't put it on. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Yeah…me, too," he replied, also in a whisper. He made to turn away but stopped when Flint called out his name again.

"Winter?" the Icewing turned to him, patiently. "I thought about what to say," he stated. Winter sent a glance to the others and told them to finish up any last-minute preparations. They seemed to get the hint.

When they were gone, Winter's attention turned fully to him. "And what did you decide on?" he asked with a carefully even tone.

"That no matter what you think of me, you'll always be my brother…and I'll always love you." He looked down, like he didn't want to see Winter's reaction to his words.

For his part, Winter had expected Flint to say something along those lines. That didn't make the impact it had on him any less profound, though.

Sure, siblings fight. In the end, though, they always make up and become closer for it. After all, isn't family the most important thing? Moon may have faked the love in their relationship, however, though the love between family may, at times, be shaken, it can never be broken…and neither can it be fake.

So…without hesitation, Winter wrapped his brother in his embrace and whispered the only words that needed to be said, "I love you, too…brother."

**AN: Sooo...those plot twists.**

**I'll just leave it at that and ask what you think. I won't confirm or deny anything regarding Moon, so don't even ask. There's always a method to my madness, and I hate spoiling my stories for others.**

**Lastly, I think the update schedule will switch around a little bit and Chapter 20 of this story will come out before the new Perspectives chapter with periodical updates of Brighter Future sprinkled in when I feel like it.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	21. Chapter 20

Dragons Change

**AN: It's finally out! A few days after I asked for help, I had an idea. A better one, in my opinion than a simple nightmare. Maybe you'll agree when you read it. Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions, though!**

**Anyways, there is a lot of Winter and Hailstorm brotherly bonding as well as a new character introduced...finally. I won't keep you, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint, Aurora and the other Spirits, and Faredir belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to their owner Frostbite15. Inferno belongs to his owner IceDragon07. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 20:

"So, um…are you still mad at me," Flint asked warily.

Winter pulled away and gave him a hard look. "Furious," he replied with an equally bitter tone. When an indescribable amount of guilt, regret, and a myriad of other emotions played across the Changewing's face and he averted his gaze away from Winter's, the Icewing sighed and his expression softened. "Do you remember the promise we made to each other?"

Flint looked up with a small spark of hope. "That we'd always watch each other's backs…no matter what?"

Winter nodded with a small smile, "I keep my promises, Flint."

The Changewing closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking right into Winter's eyes. "Thank you," he said warmly.

Winter nodded as his smile fell, "We're still going to have that talk later, and I expect you to tell me the whole truth." Flint gave a resigned sigh before nodding in acceptance. "Now put that on," he gestured to the armband still in Flint's talons. "Not to sound rude or callous, but I like you better as a Mudwing."

Flint looked down at the armband. Before he put it on, though, Winter heard him mutter something but couldn't catch what it was. He didn't comment on it, though. Instead, he gave the Changewing's shoulder a reassuring pat before walking off to find and gather the others.

He found them together with differing levels of worry or nervousness which only increased when they noticed him approaching. He rolled his eyes, "Do we have everything we need?"

"Yeah, but…Moon is missing," Cataclysm said. They probably expected him to show some signs of worry, so when his expression didn't noticeably change, he noticed a few blink in surprise. After all, he had _killed_ for that dragoness in the past.

"She's going with Glory back to the Rainforest," he said simply.

Thankfully, they were wise enough to not ask questions. However, he could tell they were uncomfortable with the possible implications. Everyone was silent and lost in their own thoughts as their small pile of supplies was divvied up. Flint, now a Mudwing again, came and joined them a few minutes later. Winter noticed how Cataclysm stayed close to him—most likely as a way to comfort him. _If anyone knows what he's going through, she does._

He sighed to himself as he hoisted his pack over his head until it sat snugly on his shoulders. It wasn't particularly heavy, so he had no problems carrying it. It was the weight on his heart that gave him pause. Learning one world-destroying truth was bad enough but to learn _two in one day?_ He briefly wondered how he was still functioning after the emotional maelstrom he had just flown through blindfolded and with no way to know which direction was out.

Perhaps he was just getting accustomed to being in a constant state of misery. _Spirits, I hope that's not the case. Living a life of constant misery would be…miserable._

"Everyone ready?" he called.

"What of Queen Ruby?" Blaze asked.

Winter paused to think just as the aforementioned Skywing Queen walked up to him. "Yes, Winter, what about me?" Her tone held a tone of slight annoyance at being forgotten in his planning.

"I suppose…it's up to you, Ruby. You can go with us to the Sea Kingdom or you can go to the Rainforest with Glory." Everyone remained quiet as she thought.

"Hmm…let's see. Go with you to continue the fight against our dangerous adversary with a possibility of coming to harm…or go to the rainforest with someone who doesn't like me to sit on my ass and do nothing." Another, shorter pause. "I think I'll choose the danger, but…I might need a bodyguard." She looked directly at Cataclysm as she spoke the last part.

For her part, Cataclysm bowed her head in affirmation. "I won't let any harm befall you, My Queen."

A genuine smile graced Ruby's face at that. "I know you won't," she replied. "My son spoke very highly of you." Cataclysm smiled and turned away, abashed. If not for her already red scales, Winter knew he would see a blush on her cheeks.

"Some of us may have our differences," Winter began as all eyes turned to him. "But in the end, I know we can put those aside because we are fighting for something greater than ourselves."

He received nods as he finished. "Well said," Ruby complimented. "You know…you have the potential to be a great King, Winter." He stared at her, stunned, and she rolled her eyes, "No, that wasn't a proposal. I was just stating an observation." She turned away before muttering just loud enough for him to hear, "Males…"

He watched her walk away before looking at nothing in particular in some other direction. He sat there in bewilderment for a few more seconds before shaking his head. "Time to go," he finally said.

With that, he spread his wings and launched himself into the sky. He heard a flurry of wingbeats behind him as the others flew after him. "A little warning would have been nice!" Cataclysm yelled after him.

He turned to her with a small smirk. "Where's the fun in that?" She rolled her eyes in exasperation but Winter saw how she was trying to hide her smile.

Winter's plan was to lead the group south along the Diamond Spray River. When they were about halfway to the Diamond Spray Delta, they would turn east towards the Bay of a Thousand Scales. From there, it would be a straight flight to the Seawings' Summer Palace.

He just hoped that by some miracle, Turtle had been able to save his sister and root out the source of the possible infiltration by now, and they would receive a warm welcome on their arrival. _I would not trust to hope,_ Aurora said to him sadly. _It has all but forsaken these lands._

_I thought you were an optimist,_ he replied back to her.

_For the others, yes, I am._ He heard her sigh before he noticed her Spirit form flying beside him. _Though, I didn't want to hide the truth from you._ She was silent for a moment but never once did her attention divert from the distant horizon. _I fear for the fate of Pyrrhia. I fear that even the anchor won't be enough to turn the tides of war._

_Is there any way to turn them in our favor?_ He asked. She was silent for a long while, so he tried again. _Aurora?_

At last she looked at him with sympathy. _Shade says that more and more threads are turning to darkness, but he believes that Moon holds the key to our salvation. I'm sorry to say, but it is possible that sending her away has doomed us all._

He looked at her in surprise. _So you're saying that my decision could lead to the end of the world? _Her silence was the only answer he needed. _How does Moon save us all?_

_She has Darkstalker's vessel, and only she has the ability to return his powers to him._ Winter actually growled at that thought. "It's bad enough that he had to return at all. Now you're saying we have to—"

"Who are you talking to, Winter?" Hailstorm asked from beside him.

Winter looked at him confused "What do you mean, I'm—" he blinked in surprise when Aurora wasn't flying on his other side anymore. _There was a reason we were talking in private, Winter._ He turned back to a thoroughly confused Hailstorm and shook his head. "No one, apparently," he huffed as his mood turned dark once more.

"Are you okay?" his brother asked, slight concern detectable in his tone.

_Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine! I just learned that my decision to send that conniving Nightwing back to where she belongs could lead to the end of the world! Not only that, but in order to potentially SAVE the world, we have to return a genocidal maniac's power to him and _hope_ he doesn't decide to murder everybody! _That's what he wanted to say, but instead he said with a slight growl, "Peachy."

Thankfully, Hailstorm decided to stay quiet, but his brother kept his position at his side in a silent show of support. It was appreciated after everything that's happened, and he really wished he had the courage to tell him as much.

Despite being siblings by blood, it was harder for him to open up to Hailstorm than with Flint, his adopted sibling. Icewings valued family as a means to an end, and try as he might, there were some shackles that he couldn't break free of. He was afraid to open up to Hailstorm because he didn't want to be seen as weak. It was a foolish fear but one he couldn't get past.

_Then why is it so easy for you to open up to me, Winter?_ Aurora asked him.

_The answer should be obvious for that, _he replied sarcastically. She chuckled at his response but gave no other response of her own.

The group flew in silence for the remainder of the flight. Their thoughts no doubt weighed down by the fear and uncertainty of what the future held for them…or dwelling on loved ones who weren't here with them. He admired Ruby for her inner strength just as he admired Glory for hers. _If only all the Queens of Pyrrhia were like them._

He had no idea what it would be like to lose a child or significant other and he didn't really want to know. Almost losing Flint to Sandwing venom was bad enough. It was rather strange…he had never thought of starting a family before as it had never seemed like the right time—what with his fragile mental state. Now though? It seemed as if his previous death and their overall impending doom had a curious way of reshuffling his priorities.

If they lost this war, he would never have the chance to settle down with the one he loved. He would never have the chance to be a father. It would be, perhaps, his greatest regret. _Fantastic time to be thinking of raising a family, _he thought to himself wryly.

"Actually, it is," Shade's voice spoke up. "What better reason to fight than to see such hopes and dreams fulfilled?" The Nightwing Spirit appeared on his other side and he glanced at him in confusion.

"So I have two Spirits that can read my mind now?" he asked, only slightly annoyed.

Shade chuckled. "Yes and no," he replied. "I have the ability to hear anyone's thoughts, not just yours—notice the teardrop scales," he pointed to the corners of his eyes for emphasis. _Huh…I never really noticed it before. Kind of hard to see, though._ "Yeah, well, my complexion is a little on the pale side," he joked.

Winter snickered at that as Hailstorm's curiosity got the better of him. "What hopes and dreams?"

Winter looked over at him, wondering if he felt comfortable enough to tell. Those old fears of his almost won out, but, in the end, his desire to have a closer bond with him—much like the one he had with Flint—gave him the courage he needed to answer. "I want to start a family one day, Hailstorm. If we lose this war…" he let that sentence hang in the air between them as his brother looked at him with a touch of understanding.

He was silent for a moment, and Winter almost thought that the end of their short conversation. He couldn't have been more wrong…

"Love is…a fickle thing, I find. You find someone who you think cares about you as much as you them, but in the end, when they leave you with nothing but a broken heart and the bitter sting of tears, you start to wonder if it ever was love to begin with." He spoke with a far-off look in his eyes, as if he was recalling a memory, and Winter could only stare at him in stunned silence.

Winter had to admit, though, Hailstorm's words held some form of truth in them. After all, isn't that what Moon had done to him…twice? "It sounds like you speak from experience," he pointed out in a soft tone.

Hailstorm looked over at him but averted his gaze shortly after. "It's not something I like to talk about, Winter. I'm sure that you of all dragons can understand that." He sighed before glancing back at their other companions. "Maybe I'll tell you about it one day…after a few drinks. Just know that I understand what that Nightwing did to you. Just don't make the same mistake I did…Don't give up. There's someone out there for all of us."

"Give up?" he decided to ask.

Hailstorm merely chuckled, "Yeah, I decided to stop looking for 'the one.' Since I never had any luck, maybe _she's_ supposed to find _me._" He looked over at Winter with mirth in his eyes. "What about you? You're not the type to wait for destiny to come calling, I've seen, so why haven't you told Aurora you love her yet?"

Winter's eyes flew wide open and he choked on air. That, in turn, made him mistime his wingbeats and he lost a good bit of altitude before regaining control of himself. He caught back up with the others to notice those in the back had concerned looks while those closer to the front had smirks on their faces. Aurora was laughing like a mad-dragon inside his head.

He regained his spot and glared at Hailstorm who only smiled back as if he was completely innocent. After a moment, his attention went forward, "Okay, I'm done talking to you!"

"Oh, come on!" Cataclysm, who was flying the closest to them, pleaded. "I want to know!"

"Shut up!" he yelled back at her.

"Come now, Winter. They're only teasing," Aurora appeared and spoke with a merry tone. "Why haven't you told me yet?"

He deadpanned at her. "You know very well why!" She looked at him with her best begging look until he caved with a massive huff. "Alright fine! Aurora, I—" With that, she disappeared again. He just stared at where she was moments before with a confounded—and dumbfounded—look before facepalming. "_That's_ why I haven't told her!" he yelled in anger.

"There's no need to get angry, Winter," Hailstorm laughed. "Do you not know what she's doing?" He just glared at his brother without answering. Hailstorm rolled his eyes at the unsuccessful intimidation attempt and continued. "She's playing hard-to-get. She's making you work for it until what she deems to be the right moment."

His glare lessened somewhat, "Why?"

Hailstorm sighed wistfully and looked forward with a small smile, "Because the first time should be special."

Winter's gaze stayed on Hailstorm for a while longer before he looked forward once more in thought. _Special, huh? I wonder what he means._

"That looks like a good spot to rest!" Flint called forward. Winter looked to the area he was talking about and nodded. He could make out the coast of the Bay from this distance. The sun was just beginning its final descent, though, so it was best to rest up and finish the stretch tomorrow morning. The area Flint mentioned was a relatively clear and secluded spot next to the Diamond Spray River. They were still within the foothills of the mountains even this far away. As such a small cliff was just far enough away from the river to create a nice defensible spot to rest.

He adjusted his flight path and the others followed. He touched down on the soft grass and proceeded to assign tasks. "Flint, go find some firewood. Blaze, Hailstorm, see if you can find some food. I don't want to use our rations unless we have to."

He was about to divvy up a watch schedule when Shade interrupted. "Don't worry about that, Winter. We'll keep watch so you can all get some rest." Winter nodded at him in thanks before walking over to the riverbank. Shade followed behind him, "This is as good of a time as any to ask questions."

Winter glanced at him before focusing back on the river. He would eat anything as long as it was edible, but he was an Icewing. He liked fish best. "How did you jump out of me during the fight with Hellstorm? And why didn't I know you were…in me?"

Shade snickered with amusement as Winter carefully waded into the fast-flowing waters. "It's…difficult to explain," he started. "As you know, part of your soul is missing, so Aurora has occupied it. The reason she can reside within you is because the part of her within you is like…" He struggled with an appropriate analogy, "A doorway," he finished.

"So what, she held the door open for you?" Winter asked, with a hint of humor.

"Basically," Shade replied with a smile. "I have to say you're taking this rather well," he complimented.

Winter rolled his eyes with a amused snort before taking a shot at a fish that had wandered too close. _Missed!_ "What choice do I have? It's either this or death, and I don't want to die just yet." Another shot. _Missed again! I'm out of practice, it seems. _"Besides, I trust you and Aurora."

He looked up at the Nightwing Spirit and noticed that his smile had fallen. "What of the others? Do you trust them?" His tone was serious. It seemed as if his answer was important in some way.

Winter cocked his head to the side in slight confusion but answered, nonetheless. "I trust Arena and Sediment well enough. I don't think I've even spoken to Oceania or Amazonia at all…but I don't trust Stratos. Something about him seems…off."

Shade looked down with a thoughtful 'hmm' before walking closer. He placed a talon on Winter's shoulder and pinned him with a serious look. "Speak of your suspicions to no one but me, do you understand?" Winter nodded. "I share them, as well, by the way, and I fear that some of us won't survive this journey."

Winter looked at him in horror. _One or more of my friends are going to die!?_ "Why tell me this!?" he whisper-yelled.

"Because I trust you, too," he replied simply. He turned and walked a few steps before his form disappeared. Winter looked back at the river and the fish swimming about with a distinct frown. _Well, there goes my appetite,_ he thought dryly. He walked back to the campsite with an empty belly and a heavy heart knowing that death was in their future. _Whose_ was yet to be seen, though.

Somehow, not knowing made it worse.

The thought of saying goodbye to someone he wasn't ready to…he actually felt himself getting sick thinking about it, so he laid down at the edge of camp and watched his companions go about their business. Flint had come back with enough wood to last the night and promptly set a nice blaze going. Cataclysm was sitting by herself next to the fire, watching their dinner cook, and Blaze and Ruby were chatting to each other. The exiled Skywing Queen was grumbling about their less-than-stellar accommodations for the night, and Blaze was trying her best to console her since she had had to adapt in the past.

Sediment, Arena, and Stratos were remaining close to their Champions yet far enough away to give them their privacy. The remaining Spirits—Aurora included—were nowhere to be seen for the moment. As he was looking for Hailstorm, he and Flint's gazes met momentarily. He made sure to narrow his eyes to make sure the Mudwing knew he was still cross with him.

Flint looked back down to the fire with a sad sigh. Darkness was beginning to envelop the world, yet their group was safe within the small sphere of illumination put out by the fire. Winter himself was near the edge, away from the others. He laid his head down and sighed. This would be the first time in a while that he would be sleeping by himself again. After the incident with _her_, he had been spending the nights with Flint. That wasn't an option for now, though, so—

He looked up when someone blocked the light of the fire and was surprised to see Hailstorm there. "You look like you could use some company," the older Icewing observed. "May I?"

Winter nodded and laid his head back down assuming Hailstorm would lay down where he was standing. It came as a surprise then when the light of the fire hit his eyes once again and he felt the familiar and welcomed sensation of a wing across his back.

Winter didn't move, but neither did his body tense as Hailstorm settled down next to him with a sigh of relief. "Nothing like a hard day's flight followed by a nice long rest, is there?"

Hailstorm looked to him for a reply as a few fond memories of their resident Queen resurfaced. "I can think of a few," he said with a small smile. The younger Icewing had an internal debate with himself before ultimately choosing his course of action. He moved his head until it was laying on his brother's foreleg. When Hailstorm didn't move or accost him, he released a small pent-up breath.

He fell asleep in the safety of his brother's embrace, and his dreams were peaceful…even happy. Despite their attack on 'his' city earlier, Faredir didn't haunt his dreams this night.

When he woke with the first light of dawn, Hailstorm's still slumbering form had shifted closer to him. The sleeping dragon's wing was holding him tight, as if to protect him from all outside evils. Winter smiled. It seems Hailstorm was moving past those old Icewing taboos. _I guess it's not so bad…as long as the Icewing is my brother. Don't think I could be this close to anyone else._

"Hailstorm," he whispered. No response, so he tried again. "Hailstorm!" he called a bit louder. This time, the older Icewing's eyes fluttered open.

"Ugh…Winter?" He blinked a few times to clear his eyes before turning to him. "Sleep well?" he asked.

Winter chuckled, "Yes, you were a very comfortable pillow."

"Good," he smirked drowsily, "Because next time, you get to be the pillow." He removed his wing from Winter's back before getting up and stretching with Winter following suit. "On a more serious note," he continued. "Aurora told me you sometimes have nightmares when you sleep alone, so I…" he trailed off.

He didn't need to say more. Winter nodded solemnly, "She's right, I do." He looked down in shame.

Hailstorm seemed to pick up on something because he immediately replied. "I don't blame you for having nightmares. In fact, I would be more concerned if you didn't after everything that has happened. I'm not ashamed of you, Winter, and I never have been." Winter looked up at him in surprise. "You gave me the courage to leave the Ice Kingdom, after all. I told you before that I wanted to make up for all the time I wasn't there for you, so that's what I'm trying to do," he finished with a smile.

Winter smiled back, but his attention was diverted when a few of the others began stirring. The sun was continuing its ascent and was now peaking over the tops of the trees. They needed to get moving soon. With one last smile directed at Hailstorm, he set off to start rousing the others while the older Icewing started packing up whatever needed to be packed up.

Blaze, Ruby, and Cataclysm posed no problems when he woke them, but he paused when he tried to wake Flint. He sighed. _Will things between us ever be the same? _He wondered. "Wake up, Flint," he shook the Mudwing slightly and he began to rouse as well.

Winter walked away before his eyes fully opened. He caught Hailstorm watching the scene with a guilty expression. The older Icewing looked away when their gazes met momentarily. _He blames himself._ Aurora spoke. "I know," he whispered to the ground in shame.

There was time for that later, though…hopefully. That reminded him: he still had to have that talk with Flint, too. _All in due time, I suppose. For now, we still have to make it to the Sea Kingdom in a timely fashion._

After a quick breakfast of preserved meat that they had for rations, the group took flight due east towards the shore. Provided there were no obstacles or interruptions, they could be at the Summer Palace tomorrow around midday. There were plenty of islands to stop and rest on in the Bay as well should the need arise.

The journey that day was quiet and uneventful for the most part. They didn't get as far as he wanted, either, since Ruby had to take more frequent breaks. The downside of being the Queen of the largest tribe on Pyrrhia was that she didn't get much time for herself. Hence, her lack of endurance. He hoped that wouldn't make her a hindrance in the future.

At the very least, according to Flint, more breaks meant more snack stops. The Mudwing took every opportunity he could to grab a quick fish since the rations they had didn't hold him over for long.

It was nearing sunset once more, and they were looking for a good place to land for the night when he spotted a small fire on a nearby island. That would have been fine since many Seawings live on such islands—except the dragon he saw was no Seawing.

He could see red scales from this distance—which would usually indicate a Skywing—but the wings were too small and the dragon seemed a bit more stocky than the average Skywing, too. _Must be a hybrid,_ he thought.

He was about to pass the island to find another—he didn't want to intrude, after all—when Shade appeared beside him. "I would recommend meeting that dragon," he addressed the group. "He has a part to play in this story." He disappeared shortly afterward and Winter couldn't help but wonder…who was this dragon?

He hovered in place and looked to his companions for their input. He received shrugs from almost everyone. "Maybe a few of us should go down first to make sure its safe," Cataclysm suggested. She was hovering next to the Queen just as any good bodyguard would.

He nodded. That happened to be a good idea, actually. "Any volunteers?" he asked, only half joking. Both Flint and Hailstorm raised their claws. "Alright then, Hailstorm and I will go. The rest of you take cover until we say its safe." He didn't miss the hurt look that flashed on Flint's face nor the disbelieving and guilty expression that Hailstorm had.

There were no arguments, however, and Hailstorm followed his lead while the others turned towards a nearby island to wait for the all-clear. "I know you're still angry at him," Hailstorm began. "But does he really deserve to be brushed aside like that?"

Of course, Winter knew who Hailstorm was talking about. He sighed in response, "No…but how can I ever trust him again? …Listen, we can talk about this later."

He sighed in resignation at his brother's response but didn't answer as they were nearing the beach where the mystery dragon was…playing a guitar?

Whatever he was playing was a slow song—most likely some sort of lullaby—and the notes rang out crisp and clear. He was undoubtedly an experienced musician. The two Icewings landed on the beach not too far away but still remaining out of the firelight, and Winter was able to get a better look at him. He was indeed a cross-tribe hybrid as he could see a few muddy brown scales reminiscent of most Mudwings. _Interesting pairing. There must be a story behind that._

It was only when they entered the area lit by the fire that Winter realized his eyes were closed. He was playing this song purely from memory. If the tears were any indication, this song, whatever it was, meant a lot to this dragon.

Not wanting to intrude on an emotional moment longer than necessary, Winter announced their presence. "Excuse me?" he called. The strange dragon's eyes snapped open and he fell backwards with a surprised—and terribly undignified—yelp when he noticed them.

He raised an eye ridge before looking over at Hailstorm who merely shrugged. When he had righted himself, the hybrid looked at them in thought before his eyes lit up in joy. "I know you!" he pointed at Hailstorm with a smile before it was replaced by confusion. "Or do I know you," he pointed at Winter this time. He kept looking between the two Icewings before exclaiming in frustration. "By the moons, why do you both look so similar!? I've met one of you before!"

At this point, the two Icewings were just as confused as this odd dragon no doubt was. "Umm…may I ask _where_ you know one of us from?" Winter asked.

He squinted his eyes at Winter before making a box with his claws and looked through it. After a moment, his expression lit up again. "Winter! I knew it was you…or at least I knew one of you was you," he mumbled the last part before all but shouting the beginning of his next sentence. "SPEAKING OF WHICH, I have to ask who the double is," he gestured to Hailstorm.

Winter blinked a few times in order to try and wrap his head around this situation. _Apparently this dragon knows me. How though? I have no idea who he is. _He decided to merely answer the question first. "That's my brother, Hailstorm. How exactly do you know me, by the way?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, obviously not taking offense that Winter didn't remember him. "I guess I can't blame you for not remembering me since we only knew each other for like…a week, I guess. I _never _forget a face, though," he declared proudly before explaining who he was. "I was the replacement Mudwing for the Jade Winglet after the whole battle thing took place. My name is Inferno if you still don't remember."

Winter was thinking hard during his explanation and eventually he did begin to remember. "I remember you now. I don't think I ever spoke to you before I left…did I?"

Inferno chuckled. "You did once. When I tried to introduce myself, I believe your exact words were, 'Does it look like I care, mix-breed?'"

Winter rubbed the spot above his heart and looked away, "Yeah…that sounds like me."

"Don't worry about it, though," he continued. "I don't hold grudges and you seemed like you wanted to be anywhere else besides where you were at the time." There was a pause, "Where did your brother go?" He looked around in confusion and Winter did the same. _He was here a second ago!_ He shrugged and Inferno shrugged back. _He probably just went to get the others._

"To get the rest of our group, I expect," he replied before gesturing to a spot near the fire. "May I?"

Inferno drew his gaze away from the sky to look at Winter with a hint of confusion. When he realized what was being asked, he replied back with a smile, "Yes, of course! Make yourself comfortable. I'm afraid I don't have anything in the way of food, though." Winter shrugged before moving closer. The fire wasn't overly large, so being close felt nice rather than making him uncomfortable.

Inferno grabbed his guitar and began strumming a few simple notes while humming softly to himself. It was a different tune than the one from before, and Winter couldn't help but ask, "When did you learn to play?"

The notes stopped and a wistful sigh escaped the hybrid. "I guess you could say it was in another life," he began. Winter heard Aurora chuckle and he couldn't help the small, amused smile that appeared on his face. Inferno's own smile disappeared as he looked back up at the stars. "It was back when the war was still raging, but since I was younger everything seemed so much simpler.

"My mother, a Skywing, taught me when I showed interest. She was a musician before she left the Sky Kingdom. My father, though…Let's just say that he wasn't my biggest fan. I don't really understand why he did and said the things he did to _me_ when it was obvious he loved my mother, but…that's all ancient history now."

He looked back down at Winter with a small apologetic smile. "I got sidetracked…sorry. I don't really talk about my past that much." He rubbed the back of his head with an awkward smile. "I taught myself a lot, too, when I…moved out here. Not much to do besides surviving and relaxing." He was quiet for a moment before asking, "Do you play?"

Winter shrugged, "A little. I write some music now and again, too, but I don't really perform for others. Most of the time I just play for myself. It helps me relax, I guess." He answered with a friendly tone, but the way Inferno talked about his past made Winter realize that he wasn't the only one with family issues. He suddenly felt bad for never giving this dragon a chance in the past.

Inferno smiled, "I know what you mean, and I have to say that I'm impressed that you can write music, too." He held out the guitar to the Icewing, but Winter just looked at it uncertainly. "Well, go on, it won't bite," he chuckled.

"You want me to play something?" Winter asked him confused. Inferno just shrugged with the same friendly smile. He hesitated still, but ultimately decided to try. _Maybe I need to relax. Nobody's here, after all. _He reached out to grab it just as the sound of wingbeats preceded the rest of his group landing and he stopped, bringing his empty claws back to the sand.

"Sorry I just disappeared on you, but I figured I would let you two catch up," Hailstorm explained when he walked up before stopping. "You do actually know each other…right?" Winter just nodded as he stared into the fire. He felt a gentle claw on his shoulder, so Winter looked up to see Hailstorm's slightly concerned expression. "Are you okay?"

Winter nodded with a small smile. "Yeah," he whispered. Hailstorm didn't say any more, but he felt an arm drape over his shoulders and a wing drape over his back before the owner pulled him in closer. Winter didn't think twice before closing his eyes and sighing in contentment. He vaguely heard Hailstorm introducing the group to Inferno and vice versa, but his eyes snapped open when he heard a threatening growl coming from the as-of-now civil hybrid.

The first thing he saw was Inferno glaring at someone in the group with a snarl. The second thing he saw was Flint staring back with disinterest—as if Inferno was below his care. His muscles, however, were tense. "I sense a story here," Cataclysm piped up with a hint of concern.

"There's no story," Flint replied with a trace of anger in his voice. "He's just being petty."

Almost everyone in the group was staring at the Mudwing as if he had just grown a second head. "Petty!?" Inferno snarled. "You _stole_ my dragoness!"

Flint rolled his eyes, "She was never _yours_! She threw you away like bad meat the moment she found someone…better." Murder gleamed in Inferno's eyes and he stalked forward.

Winter was preparing to intervene when someone beat him to it. "Alright, that's enough!" Cataclysm yelled. "I don't know what in the name of the stars is wrong with you—_both_ of you," She gave a pointed look to Flint on that second part. "But we have enough enemies without adding each other to the list!"

She glanced at Winter and he nodded in thanks before asking, "Who was it?"

Both Flint and Inferno looked over to him and Flint's expression seemed to soften a bit. "It was Amber. And to be fair, she's a Mudwing just like me. We're not known for keeping the same partners. So I didn't steal her…she _chose_ me," he verbally jabbed back to the hybrid.

"Whatever," he huffed before laying down. "I already gave Winter my permission for you guys to stay, but I want you gone in the morning. My life is miserable enough without being verbally assaulted by an old rival." He all but mumbled the last sentence as he closed his eyes.

Without anything better to do and not wanting to wake their host, the others laid down to sleep as well. He stayed in Hailstorm's embrace again for the night, but before he closed his eyes, his sight lingered on the guitar laying by the hybrid. _It would feel good to play again…_he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

_As soon as his eyes closed, they opened again, and Winter looked around in confusion at his surroundings. He had just been on an island in the Bay of a Thousand Scales…so why was he on the snowy plains outside of the Icewing city? "How did I get here?" he whispered to himself._

"_What is it that you feel when you look upon this place?" a familiar voice asked. Winter whirled around to see a large Icewing standing there. He was slightly more muscular than Winter himself was, and he held himself regally. His expression was one of deep pondering. Though Winter had never met this Icewing before, Winter immediately recognized the fiery red eyes._

"_Faredir," Winter breathed the name with no small amount of fear evident in his slightly shaky voice._

_The Icewing glanced at him upon hearing his name but continued with his question. "This is the place where you have always wanted to belong but never wanted to be. What do you feel now I wonder?" Faredir looked at him fully when Winter still didn't answer, "Well?" he pressed._

"_W-why do you care?" Winter asked._

"_Because I underestimated you, Winter," he said before walking closer. His posture was completely relaxed as if he had no intention of attacking, but Winter was acutely aware that Faredir didn't need to attack him physically to harm him. "In order to avoid that in the future, I wish to know you better." Upon noticing Winter's discomfort, he stopped and sat down. His piercing gaze locked onto his. "You do not need to be afraid, I have no intention of harming you…tonight."_

"_Then why are you here?" Winter asked, his voice low and tinted with anger._

"_To talk," the large Icewing replied simply. "To give you and I the privacy needed for this conversation. I wanted to give you one more chance to do the right thing."_

"_Right thing?" he scoffed, incredulously. "You are kidnapping innocent dragons for some bid at world domination! How is that the right thing!?"_

_Faredir was silent for a while and Winter didn't dare say anything else to possibly anger the dragon before him. When he did answer, it was once again in his thoughtful tone, "You believe in differing perspectives, don't you?" When Winter nodded, he continued, "What would have happened if _I_ had found you first? If I had told you a story to gain your sympathy? If I had said that the Spirits you seem so fond of were the true enemies? Would you have believed me?"_

_Winter was silent for an even longer time. He wrestled with himself for an answer that he already knew. He wanted to believe that he would always choose the Spirits—choose Aurora—but he couldn't say that for certain. Compassion was Winter's greatest strength and weakness. If Faredir had indeed found him before Aurora, this journey might have been much different. "Possibly," he whispered at last._

_Faredir grinned, "Not too prideful to simply defend your choice, I see. Good." He nodded to himself. "Then perhaps you might listen, after all. Do you know why this war between my father and the Spirits started?"_

"_Yes," Winter nodded. He remembered Aurora's memory-vision that she had shared with him. "Aurora kill your mother."_

_Faredir's expression immediately darkened and Winter was worried that he might have overstepped his bounds, but his fears were allayed when the large dragon replied. "Not just killed…Aurora destroyed her very soul." Winter gasped in horror. "When a mortal dragon dies, their soul would journey to the Spirit World. Your precious Spirit made sure that wouldn't happen in case my father would revive her soul. Do you understand now why she deserves death?_

"_She killed my mother for falling in love with my father, but now she is committing the same sin…with you. I wonder if she even realizes her hypocrisy…or maybe she is just using your feelings for her to string you along and keep you focused on _her_ mission…just like Moon did." When he stopped speaking, Winter was silent as he thought deeply about the possible truth in Faredir's words. "We don't have to be enemies, Winter," he continued after a pause. "You could join me. Everyone you care about would be granted amnesty, even the other Champions if you could convince them._

"_I would take you to see those you have thought lost. Qibli, Deathbringer, Thorn…all of them are alive and well. We aren't monsters, Winter. We Changewings just want our place in this world, but Aurora and the other Spirits won't allow that, so we had no choice but to do so by force. This is a war between divine forces. My father and I wanted to keep it that way, but it was Aurora who forced our claws. It was her that began involving mortals in our affairs."_

"_She found me," Winter whispered._

_Faredir nodded in understanding. "All of this pain and misery this journey has caused you could have been avoided. I never wanted this, Winter. All I wanted is a future for my tribe." There was a small pause and then Winter felt a comforting paw on his shoulder. "I know this is a lot to think about, but I _want_ you to make the right decision, and no matter what choice you make I will respect it."_

"_Why?" Winter asked, confused._

"_Because I _kill_ my enemies, Winter. I do not hate them…with one exception," he added after a moment. "But I don't want to kill you unless I have to. You are a rare individual, one that I'm sure my father would like. It would be a shame to waste your potential."_

_Winter was silent for several minutes, then several more. He was trying to find any deception in Faredir's words, but he could sense only sincerity. So far they had only met as enemies—and a fearsome enemy he was—but could he truly be a friend? Would he even want him as a friend? When nearly twenty minutes had passed and Faredir had shown no signs of rushing his decision, he decided to ask, "How long will you give me to think about it?"_

_A small, genuine smile appeared on Faredir's expression before he answered. "How about two days. It is the same time I gave you previously, but I have to ask you not to share the details of this conversation with anyone—especially Aurora."_

_Winter looked at him with a raised eye ridge, "And how do you expect me to do that? Our souls are connected. I can't hide anything from her."_

_Faredir looked down in thought before seemingly coming to a conclusion. He raised a talon into the air before a purple orb of energy appeared floating above his digits. "This will act as a temporary block between your soul and Aurora's. She will not be able to communicate with you telepathically or reside within you as I have seen her do on occasion. It will disappear when you time limit is up in two days. If at any time you wish to contact me, simply reach out to communicate like you would with Aurora. I will be all too happy to clear up any doubts or answer any questions you might have."_

"_What if I choose her?" Winter asked suddenly._

"_As I said, I will respect your decision, and the block will be removed regardless, but I hope you don't. I could use a dragon as influential as yourself to help my tribe integrate into Pyrrhia's society peacefully. Are there any other questions you have before I send you back?"_

"_What of Hellstorm, or the dragon who replaced Qibli, did you order them to commit such atrocities? Did you order 'Deathbringer' and 'Raven' to kill me?" he asked, hotly._

"_No on all accounts. There is another Changewing leader here that was in charge of our forces before I arrived. She is quite…aggressive with her strategies, but they produce results. I have only been on this plane for a little over two weeks." Another small pause, "And I have heard of your other group of friends causing problems for her infiltrators in the Sea Kingdom. I believe one of her hostages is your friend Turtle's sister?" Winter nodded. "I will order her release and make sure all Changewings leave the Sea Kingdom alone for now…as I suspect that is where you are headed. Think of it as an act of goodwill."_

_Winter nodded and looked down in thought. _ I can't believe I'm actually doing this._ "Alright, place the block and send me back."_

_Faredir nodded before placing his claws directly above Winter's heart. A cold shiver raced along his spine as the orb was absorbed into him, but then everything returned to normal. He actually couldn't tell a difference. Faredir stepped back and disappeared before his eyes. Then, he felt his eyes getting heavy. He laid down to sleep, closed his eyes…_

And awoke upon the spot he had last fallen asleep. The fire had died down, but the stars were shining brightly in the night sky. As he laid his head down to return to sleep, he spied Aurora watching him from the other side of camp with narrowed eyes.

He looked away as doubt began worming its way into his head. _Why was she looking at me like that? Was Faredir right? Is she just using me? Does she know already? _

_What am I supposed to do?_

**AN: Okay, what did you think? Should Winter accept Faredir's offer? I have ideas for both directions, but I want to know what you guys think. I have no idea when the next chapter will come out because of my atrocious school schedule, but I have Spring Break the week after this one, so I might be able to work on it quite a bit.**

**I don't really know. A new chapter for A Brighter Future Ahead will come out on Tuesday if I don't get around to it today. Homework, you know. I have Phat Tuesday off for Mardi-Gras, so I'll be able to work on it then with no problems...if I don't get to it today.**

**Anyways,**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	22. Chapter 21

Dragons Change

**AN: IT'S DONE! And in a much more timely fashion! At least compared to the last two updates... Anyways, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, which is odd because it's mostly filler. There's no actual action, but there is a lot of important dialogue in this one.**

**I won't make this note too long, but I just wanted to say that I will _try_ to get a chapter out once a month at this point. All of my classes have transitioned to an online format now that everything's gone up hell's creek without a paddle...or a boat. That means more time for me to write since I'm not stuck on campus all day, so that's good!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Aurora and the Spirits, Faredir, and Flint belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Inferno belongs to his owner IceDragon07. Firkin (cameo) belongs to his owner Blackberry Avar. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 21:

If there was one word that could describe how Winter felt when he woke, it was 'strange'. Since waking up from his coma all those weeks ago, Aurora's presence within him had been constant. More that that, though, was how deep that connection had become since then. Now that he could no longer feel her, he felt almost…empty.

Of course, there was another feeling there now. Something—or rather someone—else was now connected to him. Whereas Aurora gave him a feeling of peace and security, the connection with Faredir made him feel…cold. Not the bitter chill caused by a blizzard or high altitudes, but rather the type of cold associated with sunbathing amidst freshly fallen snow. It felt sort of pleasant actually.

He was the last awake, apparently. Though, if Blaze and Cataclysm stretching and yawning were any indication, not by much. He noticed Aurora, Arena, Sediment, and Oceania talking quietly away from the others. When she noticed him looking their way, they immediately stopped talking. Oceania's expression was one of curiosity. Sediment seemed thoughtful. Aurora and Arena, however, looked downright hostile. _They know!_

He heard a chuckle in his head._ Of course they know,_ Faredir spoke. _They aren't fools._

_But why are they so hostile?_ He asked.

_Why do you think?_ He replied calmly. _There is only _one_ explanation for her not being able to connect with you._ Winter watched as the four separated and then all but Aurora disappeared entirely.

Instead, she walked over to him with a furious expression. For the first time since meeting Aurora, he was actually intimidated by her. He tried to back away, but he halted when she bared her teeth to clearly show just how much fighting her was a bad idea. As soon as she was close enough, she placed her claws above his heart and pushed. When nothing happened, she growled. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!?" she screamed at him.

All activity in the camp ceased. Even Inferno was watching the scene with wide eyes. He blinked a few times in the face of her fury, shrinking down slightly before he averted his gaze from hers, ashamed.

"What did he promise you that I couldn't give!? What reward could justify siding with our enemy!?" she continued yelling at him.

For some reason, he felt himself becoming angry. He felt the need to defend his choice, which was strange. He didn't owe loyalty to Faredir. He didn't trust the Changewing at all, but he had promised something that the Spirits couldn't guarantee. "He promised me peace," he said quietly yet defensively.

She looked away with a heavy sigh. "And you believed we couldn't?" she accused. "Is that a lack of faith in _us_ or just a lack of faith in _me_?"

"It doesn't matter now," Shade interrupted before Winter could come up with a retort. "What's done is done. It's in the past and we can't change it. What matters now is moving forward."

"Perhaps," Aurora agreed. "But we need to know details first. What is your agreement with him?"

He was about to answer when he remembered Faredir's request from last night. If he didn't want anyone else to know, then he shouldn't tell them. If he was, indeed, thinking of switching allegiances, the least he could do is to try and trust Faredir's word.

Easier said than done…

Regardless he shook his head. He wouldn't tell them. Aurora's gaze narrowed, "Fine then. If you won't tell us, then I can't trust you." He looked down. That hurt a lot more than he wanted anyone to know.

"Give him a break!" Hailstorm intervened. "You've trusted him thus-far. Now that he's made a decision you don't approve of, you're just going to toss him aside?" He came and stood protectively next to Winter, and the younger Icewing was infinitely grateful to his brother at that moment.

"Nobody's being thrown aside!" Shade insisted. He gently pushed Aurora away to which she wasn't happy about but ultimately obliged the Nightwing Spirit. "You have a choice here, Winter. Speak to us, your friends, and Faredir. Get their opinions, allay your doubts, and make the choice you deem to be the right one. Whichever path you choose, we will respect it." Aurora took a deep breath before finally nodding in acceptance to Shade's advice and walking away. When she was far enough away, Shade leaned forward and whispered in Winter's ear. "I only hope you make the _right_ one," he pulled away and walked off without another word.

_I wonder what that was all about?_ He would take Shade's advice, though. He would talk to the others and get their opinions. He looked over to Hailstorm, "What do you think?"

Hailstorm looked at him in thought before answering. "When I went to the city to find out where Queen Ruby was being held, he knew I was coming. I spoke with Faredir personally." Winter's eyes widened in surprise. Hailstorm explained everything he had learned from his conversation with the Changewing Lord—including his 'truth' about the origins of this war. "After that, I've found it more difficult to trust Aurora. She seems the type to manipulate others to get what she wants…they both are, actually."

"She never told me," he whispered. _Is what Hailstorm saying true?_

_I did, indeed, tell him as much._ Faredir replied.

_Why didn't you tell me?_

_You wouldn't have believed me,_ he said simply._ You trust your brother more than you trust me, which is understandable. And yes, I would be lying if I said I didn't plan to manipulate situations to my favor. The difference between Aurora and I, however, is that I just told you I would. _

"So you would want me to join Faredir?" he asked Hailstorm after spending a moment digesting what Faredir had just said.

Hailstorm shook his head. "What I want is irrelevant. I'll support you whatever decision you make," he assured the younger Icewing with a smile.

Winter smiled back and decided to talk to another friend before they left. He walked over to Cataclysm, who noticed him approach. She gave him a sympathetic look, "I suppose you want to talk about what just happened?" He nodded, so she excused herself from the Queen, and they walked over to where no one could overhear them.

"If you had to choose a side, which would you pick?" he asked.

She sighed, "I'm sorry, Winter, but I already chose my side. I told you before of the atrocities I witnessed while I was among their ranks. I can't just forget that."

"Faredir said that it was another general giving those orders, and that she was more aggressive with her tactics," he replied. He didn't know if she knew, but he told her in case she didn't.

"Maybe, but do you really trust him? We're talking about the Lord of the Changewings, here. Why would he tell you the truth?" she tried to reason.

"Why would he lie?" he countered. "Especially if he wants my support."

She sighed again, "I've said my piece. You can't convince me to rejoin them, I'm sorry." She walked away to take her position by the Queen again.

He didn't think the others would listen to him after the debacle this morning, so he decided to let Flint lead for the time being. He walked over to the Mudwing who looked away from him with a frown, "Are you actually willing to speak to me again or is this just business?"

Winter froze where he stood, but he answered after a moment, "Just business for right now. I—"

Flint interrupted him before he could continue. "Then I have no wish to speak with you," he said without looking at him. Winter flinched back as if he had just been struck. "It's obvious that you'll never trust me again no matter what I say, so there's no point trying to pretend otherwise. Right?"

Winter stared open-mouthed in shock before shaking his head fervently, "No, that's not— I just need time to sort things out!"

"'How can I ever trust him again?' I believe were your exact words," Flint countered. "Hailstorm told me what you said, so don't lie to me! _Eight years_ I stayed by your side! _Eight years_ I was the only dragon you trusted enough to talk to! I know you better than anyone, Winter! I know your tells when you're upset. I know how to make you feel better. I _know_ you. And I know you need me…" He had started off yelling—once again causing the activity in the camp to halt—before slowly quietening as his anger began fizzling out.

Winter was silent—as was Flint—as he removed his wristband. Within a couple of minutes, Flint's real form was standing before him. "If you can't trust Flint anymore, maybe we can just start over." The Changewing looked up with a slightly forced smile and held out a claw. "My name is Zyfis. It's nice to meet you."

Winter gave him a wan smile but clasped his talons with his own, nonetheless. "Nice to meet you, too. So does this mean…"

"What you said to me after finding out the truth made me realize that I'm tired of living as someone else. Now, I just want to be me." Zyfis looked at the wristband in his other talon before placing it upon Winter's wrist. Nothing happened when he did, so Winter looked at him confused. "A Changewing's focus only works on the Changewing who made it, but I want you to have it to remember Flint by. The real Flint died the day he gave this to me, but I think he would approve of you having it.

"And since I know what you wanted to ask me originally, I'll go ahead and answer it. Faredir loves his tribe, and he's a better dragon than the previous general. I don't know her name, but she was shrewd and aggressive. Before I left their ranks, I was captain of the infiltrators in the Mud Kingdom. I reported directly to her. I left when her methods became too brutal."

"Is that why you were really in the Rainforest?" Winter asked.

"Yes and no," he replied. "What I told you about Flint's four sisters was the truth. When he died, I took it upon myself to look after them. They really did die in an Icewing ambush, and I really was their prisoner for several months. When I returned to find out my orders had changed to something more…evil, I decided to just leave." He gave a small smile, "I'll tell you the whole story later, but we have somewhere to be, do we not?"

Winter contemplated pushing him farther but eventually nodded, "Yes, we do. I don't think the others trust me much anymore, though, so I was going to ask if…Flint could take the lead."

Zyfis shook his head. "They might not understand and they might not be happy with your choice, but they all respect you. They'll listen to you. If that isn't enough, though, you should ask Hailstorm."

Winter nodded and excused himself before going to find his brother. He found him talking with Blaze, who looked up with a relieved expression when she saw him approach. "Winter, will you please tell your brother that I am entitled to my own opinion?"

He looked at her for a moment before shifting his questioning gaze over to Hailstorm, who clarified. "I asked if she would change sides if you did, but she said she wouldn't. When I asked why, she didn't have a very good reason, so we started arguing."

"Well, she _is_ entitled to her own opinion," he turned to Hailstorm. "But I was wondering if you would take the lead to the Summer Palace?"

Hailstorm nodded, "Sure. You just focus on talking to everyone you want to talk to. Get your thoughts in order." He placed a claw on his shoulder and looked at him seriously, "We need you with a clear head. Okay?"

He nodded in agreement, "Okay."

"Good," the older Icewing smiled and gave him a brief hug before turning to the others in the camp. "Alright, everyone, it's time to move! Grab your stuff and let's get going!"

Winter turned to see Inferno watching the others get ready and approached him. "Why don't you come with us?" he asked.

Inferno looked at him, thoughtfully. "I'm tempted, Winter, I really am, but…" his gaze trailed over to Ruby. Winter followed his gaze then turned back to him confused. "I'm a wanted criminal in the Sky Kingdom, okay?" he whispered.

"What did you do?" he asked, surprised when he actually received an answer.

"My father attacked me, so I accidently killed him in self-defense," Inferno explained. "I didn't mean to, it just…happened."

Winter studied him for a long moment until Hailstorm called down to him. "Come on, Winter, we're waiting on you!"

He turned away, but not before saying one last thing, "Come with us or don't. It's your choice, but I won't judge you for what happened." With that, he took off—Inferno's form shrinking as the distance between grew.

Winter sighed. He had hoped Inferno would join them, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. He decided to spend the flight talking with the one dragon he had hurt more than the rest…At least he hoped she was hurt. That sounded bad, but he couldn't get Hailstorm and Faredir's words out of his head. Was Aurora just using him? If she was, then she was probably feeling more angry and frustrated that she couldn't control him rather than hurt and betrayed by his lack of trust in her.

Since part of herself was within him, she couldn't return to the Spirit World like the others could. Add to that, Faredir's blocker was preventing her from residing within that part of himself, so she was forced to remain in her ghostly form and travel alongside the others in their group. If the scowl on her face was any indication, she wasn't exactly happy about what had happened.

"Aurora?" he called, softly.

She glanced at him briefly before releasing a resigned sigh, "Yes, what is it?"

Winter thought of how to broach the subject gently and, finding none, decided to start with a compliment, instead. "You look very…fetching today."

That time, she did look straight at him. However, it was with an unimpressed expression. "Fetching?" she repeated, incredulously. "Alright, out with it. What did Faredir tell you about me that you wish to discuss?"

"That obvious, huh?" he tried joking. She didn't even crack a smile. He sighed in defeat. "Remember when you shared your memory with me?" She nodded. "That's how I learned that you killed Faredir's mother," he specified. Regret flashed across her features but still she nodded. "You didn't just kill her, did you?"

She took a deep breath before answering. "No, I didn't. If he told you that I destroyed her soul, then he wasn't lying. I did destroy her soul to prevent Urfael from resurrecting it. It _is_ possible to resurrect the soul of the deceased—with you yourself being proof of that—but it has risks. Without proper preparations, the dragon in question could turn into an undead abomination whose only desire is to reclaim some form of life…by consuming the living.

"Could that have happened to me?" Winter asked, horrified.

She shook her head. "No. I anchored your soul to your body with my own. You have a full soul, even if part of it isn't yours. Without a full soul, a dragon is no longer truly living, but they can't be dead if they have but part of one. Such is the secret of necromancy—which Urfael is a master of."

"Why do it, though? Why kill her? Faredir said it was because you were jealous," he said, curiously.

"Jealous?" she questioned; her head cocked to the side in confusion. He nodded. "Jealous why?"

"Because she was in a relationship with Urfael…who you loved," he explained to her.

She looked at him in surprise for a long moment before returning her gaze forward to the horizon. "We were very close at one point," she started after a lengthy pause. "Perhaps closer even than Shade and I were. It's true that I considered him a very close friend. Which is why it pained me to have to kill the dragoness that he had found happiness with. Falling in love with a mortal was forbidden—we had all agreed to it—and as the leader of the Spirits—of which we had also all agreed upon—it was my duty to carry out the punishment."

"Did you know they had a son?" Winter asked when she paused.

She shook her head. "Not at first, no. It was twenty years before I encountered Faredir for the first time. I foolishly believed he was just a mortal upset with our rule—there had been a few before. When we fought, I quickly learned that he was much more than I had originally believed. He left me there, as close to death as I have ever been, but not before telling me who he was and giving me the ultimatum for the first time."

"Ah, yes. I couldn't fathom why my father feared you so much after that first little battle," a familiar voice sounded from behind them.

EVERYONE stopped flying when they heard that voice. Aurora's expression instantly transformed into one of sheer terror. When they turned around, they saw a ghostly manifestation—much like Aurora's spirit form—of Faredir's true form hovering there with a dark smirk. "How…" Aurora struggled to form words.

He chuckled. "This little trick was easy once I tried. I've been following you with this astral projection for the last little while."

"Why are you here?" Aurora instantly challenged.

He rolled his eyes at her, dismissively, before gesturing to Winter. "I wanted to see if I truly could connect with Winter here and it seems as if I can. His ability to connect with our Spirit essences is quite impressive. For a mortal to have the ability to connect with one Spirit is rare enough, but _three_?" He chuckled.

Winter looked at both of them, confused. "You mean it's not as easy for others as it seemingly is for me?"

Aurora turned to answer him, but Faredir beat her. "I see that's another thing you've failed to tell him. Did you also forget to mention that trying to wield the anchor could kill him if he isn't strong enough?" Winter whirled around to stare at Aurora with an incredulous look. She was glaring at the Changewing's astral projection with hatred, but when she saw him looking at her, she couldn't meet his gaze.

He chuckled again. "Do you see now, Winter? She neglects to tell you these things because you are only a tool to her—and an expendable one at that!"

"THAT'S A LIE!" she yelled with seething fury. She turned to Winter, who was staring at her with a mixture of anger, confusion, and betrayal. "Don't let him tear us apart with mere words! This is what he wants! If you side with him, he'll rip us apart, and use me to return Urfael to this world, then _no one_ will survive!"

Faredir had a malicious grin on his face. "Desperation is unbecoming of you, Aurora. Though, I believe I have given Winter enough to think about for now, so I will take my leave. Feel free to contact me whenever you wish, Winter, I will answer any questions you have…and I do mean _any_ questions."

With that, he was gone in a flash. There was silence but for the gentle whistling of the wind, the cawing of seafaring birds, and the steady rhythm of wingbeats. Winter turned his head to notice _every single dragon_ in their group glaring at Aurora with varying degrees of disgust or anger.

The other six Spirits immediately appeared by their leader's side in a show of support. "Anything you want to say to me, Aurora?" Winter asked slowly.

She turned around and regarded him with a snarl. "I don't expect you to understand my methods or why I keep things from you, but my goal has always been the same. I won't allow Faredir and Urfael to destroy this world, and neither will I let you make a decision that will undoubtedly kill us all." She closed the distance between them until she was close enough to whisper in his ear. "Don't forget that it was by _my_ power that you were brought back…and what it means should you betray me."

"Personally, I don't understand why he's still alive," Arena commented. "It's obvious his loyalty is questionable, to say the least. Why are we—"

Shade, with an impressive amount of restrained anger in his voice, cut the Sandwing Spirit off. "Because I _said so_! Are you going to doubt _my _loyalty, as well?" The two Spirits glared at each other, but Arena looked away and didn't question the Nightwing Spirit further.

Winter noticed Sediment shaking his head sadly. The Mudwing Spirit was undoubtedly upset to see his comrades and friends fighting amongst each other. He also saw Shade share a few quiet words with Oceania, and the Seawing Spirit nodded, though she didn't look happy. She looked over at him when she saw him looking and smiled at him reassuringly.

"Come on, Winter," Hailstorm called, gently. "Let's keep moving." In a whisper, he added. "I'm beginning to hope that Faredir can take Aurora's place in keeping you alive. I'm beginning to severely dislike her."

"Do you think he even would?" he asked uncertainly. _Would you form that close of a connection with me?_

_Why wouldn't I?_ Faredir immediately replied. _If I have to form the same connection with you that you and Aurora currently share in order to gain your support and possible friendship—not to mention save your life—I would do so without hesitation. _

"Judging by the look on your face, I don't think I have to answer that question," Hailstorm said. "I'm guessing he answered you already?" Winter just nodded with a deeply pensive expression.

_This peace you promised me… How would you obtain it?_

He could almost hear the smile in Faredir's voice when he answered. _Not me. You. You will obtain the peace in the most honest of ways imaginable…_ he paused for effect. _By telling the truth._

_Excuse me? _Winter asked, both surprised and unconvinced.

_You are personal friends with half of Pyrrhia's Queens. Glory, Ruby, and Thorn will listen to you when you explain the truth to them. Coral and Moorhen may not know you personally, but they respect the other three Queens enough to give you a chance to explain. Snowfall may prove to be a problem, but there is another who could claim the throne if something were to…happen to her._

At first, Winter was going to say something about Faredir's none-too-subtle reference to assassination, but he froze when he understood the true meaning behind his words. _My mother…_

_Yes,_ he replied softly. _But I believe that particular issue can be resolved later._ Winter breathed a sigh of relief when Faredir changed topics.

_Do you honestly believe it would be that easy, though? Telling the truth and _hoping_ they believe us doesn't sound like much of a plan._

_Perhaps not,_ he agreed. _ But, as of yet, I don't have a better idea to end this conflict peacefully. I was hoping you had enough influence to sway the minds of the Queens. After all, it's easier for someone to be trusted if they _prove_ they can be trusted._ Winter heard him sigh._ However, unless you have decided to ally yourself with me, planning for such eventualities is a moot point, don't you agree? _Winter didn't respond, but his silence was all the reply Faredir needed.

Winter flew towards their destination with Hailstorm on his left side and Zyfis on his right. Ruby and Cataclysm flew behind them with Blaze on Ruby's other side. Aurora was dragging behind, but no one cared enough to slow down or wait for her. Shade was speaking with her while the only other Spirit still flying with them, Oceania, flew to the right and slightly above the group. He could clearly see her sending curious glances his way.

"Did I just cause a civil war between the Spirits?" Winter asked no one in particular as he flew.

Both Hailstorm and Zyfis glanced at him, but it was the Changewing who answered. "It's…possible. Lord Faredir may have planned for this outcome."

"Lord?" Hailstorm looked over at the Changewing with a suspicious gaze.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a Changewing, Hailstorm. Faredir wants what's best for us, and I honestly believe him. I always have." Zyfis paused in thought. "I guess you could compare him to Darkstalker."

Winter flinched visibly as Hailstorm whirled around to look at Zyfis with open hostility. "You mean the dragon that tried to wipe out my entire tribe eight years ago!?"

Zyfis looked back at him in confusion. "I was thinking the way he is now. He's changed quite a bit since his return." At Hailstorm's incredulous look, Zyfis blinked in understanding. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that, was I?"

Winter let out a deep breath before answering. "No, you weren't. I hadn't told him that part yet because I wanted to break it to him gently after they had met." Zyfis mouthed the word 'sorry' as Hailstorm was wrestling with himself.

Winter waited with bated-breath for Hailstorm's eventual verbal lashing and blinked in surprise when the older Icewing let out an explosive sigh. "Do you trust him?" he asked.

Winter thought for a moment. Before they split up in the Rainforest, Darkstalker had said he respected Winter enough to listen to him. He wasn't entirely convinced the ancient Nightwing was being completely truthful. It was doubtful that two thousand years of anger and hatred could just disappear in such a short time—even if it was, in fact, his powers that caused his descent into darkness. After a good, long period of thought, he eventually answered. "Shade trusts him. That's good enough for me to give him a chance."

Hailstorm didn't look entirely convinced but relented with a sigh and a nod. "Well, I trust _you_, so I'll try not to claw his face off as soon as I see him."

Winter chuckled, "Were it so easy."

The three lapsed into silence and flew for a while until Cataclysm came up to speak with Zyfis. From what he gathered from their conversation, Cataclysm was worried for his safety now that he was so brazenly leaving his true form revealed. Winter had to admit that she brought up some good points, especially considering the Rainwings' reaction to seeing him for the first time after the battle. _I doubt the Seawings will react any differently._

_His friends will protect him, Winter._ Faredir replied to his worried thoughts._ As will Sediment, I believe. Zyfis may be a Changewing, but the Mudwing Spirit isn't so black-and-white as to simply abandon his champion now that 'Flint' is no longer available. _Another pause,_ As will I if all else fails._

_You would do that? _Winter asked, surprised. _What about the part he's played destabilizing your plans?_

_ Not mine,_ he clarified._ And his willingness to show the world his true form should be proof enough of his loyalties. Even if he isn't loyal to me, he is loyal to his tribe._

Winter let that sink in for a moment as he looked ahead to the many islands that dotted the Bay. If memory served him right, they shouldn't be too far away. He probably should have dreamvisited Turtle or—dare he say it—Darkstalker to let them know they were coming to regroup so they, in turn, could let the Queen know to expect them.

It was just after midday when the sights became more familiar to him. The Summer Palace should only be another hour or so farther. They had been flying in silence for quite awhile when Zyfis decided to break it with a question. "What are you thinking about, Winter?"

The Icewing in question broke out of his ponderings to focus on the question. "I was thinking about the last time we were here. I don't think Queen Coral liked me very much."

"What makes you say that?" he asked with a grin, for he knew very well why.

The Sea Kingdom had been their last stop on their trans-Pyrrhian journey to speak with the Queens. So far, only Moorhen had been downright disinterested, and he had rather hoped it would stay that way, however unlikely a possibility that was.

Queen Coral of the Seawings had a…reputation amongst the other Queens of Pyrrhia. The Seawing Queen had changed drastically after years of having her daughters' eggs smashed and her husband being murdered—not to mention that it was by her own daughter that she thought lost—in Scarlet's arena. She was much more…eccentric compared to how she used to be.

For instance, everyone knew that she cared for her daughters and her writings more than actually ruling over her tribe. That didn't mean she was a bad Queen, per say. She just wasn't very active in the court. Most of her duties had been taken over by her council and everybody knew that they were the real leaders of the Seawings. Coral was more of a figurehead at this point. The only time that wasn't the case was when someone had personally wronged her.

For a Seawing, she was quite vindictive.

So it probably hadn't been a good idea to go before the Queen of the Seawings, waste her time talking about scavengers, and then indirectly insult her by saying Riptide—yes, Winter actually said his name—was giving them support while she 'twiddled her thumbs.'

It wasn't his proudest moment. To be fair, though, she had insulted him first. Flint actually had to physically hold him back when she said, and I quote: _'Your mission is as pointless as your position in royalty was.'_ How she got wind of that, Winter will never know, but it was only through shear, dumb luck that Tsunami had arrived in the throne room at that exact moment—most likely sparing him a 'pleasant' stay in the dungeons.

Somehow, Winter doubted her opinion of him had improved over the last eight years. "You can leave Coral to me if you wish, Winter," Ruby called forward. "I know what to say to gain her cooperation."

Blaze looked at her strangely. "Blackmail?"

Ruby chuckled. "Hardly. Every Queen knows that the way to Coral's heart, and therefore her cooperation, is through her daughters. I—" She cut herself off and pointed ahead where two Seawing guards were approaching. Ruby took the lead and made sure that the guards saw her. Winter registered the surprise on their faces, but they signaled for them to follow, though he didn't like the looks they were giving Zyfis.

They were lead through the underwater tunnel leading into the palace proper where they were told to wait. Darkstalker was the first dragon Winter noticed, mostly because the Nightwing was staring directly at him as soon as he surfaced. Secondly, he noticed Kinkajou.

At least he assumed it was her. The female Rainwing in question was currently _leaning against Darkstalker_ with her eyes closed. The last time he had seen the Rainwing, she had been extremely distrustful of their old adversary. What had happened in such a relatively short span that made her trust him now?

The Nightwing shifted and gently shook Kinkajou—who was apparently sleeping—when their group was fully in view. She awoke, but her eyelids were droopy and she seemed exhausted. She looked up at the Nightwing in confusion, but when he gestured in their direction with his head and she saw them, she visibly brightened.

She walked over, feet and tail dragging slightly and threw her arms around his neck and proceeded to let gravity take over. He wrapped his own arms around her and held her up to which she smiled, though her eyes were closed. "Hey, Sparkles," she mumbled. "You're comfy," she said even more quietly.

He looked over to the Nightwing, concerned for his friend. "What happened? Where's Turtle?" he whispered. Ruby and Cataclysm followed some guards to a destination unknown. Blaze and Zyfis shuffled around near the pool rather awkwardly.

Kinkajou shivered ever so slightly against Winter's scales, so Darkstalker reached out and took her from Winter's grasp, and she proceeded to snuggle into the new warmth. "She's exhausted," the Nightwing whispered back. "She's been staying up with Turtle, trying to keep him from doing something stupid. This whole debacle was clouding his judgment. It might have been better if you took him with you to the Sky Kingdom, but I know that wasn't an option. I'm just…worried about him."

"You? Worried?" Winter snorted in amusement. Though he had noticed when Darkstalker had come closer that he seemed a bit larger than before. Whereas Winter was only a half-head shorter than Darkstalker when he was first released; now, the Nightwing was over two heads taller than him.

Darkstalker, however, was less amused by Winter's comment. "Believe it or not, but I _do _have a heart," he said, seriously. "Once they were forced to actually trust me, they realized I wasn't so bad…at least, that's what I guess happened. Whatever the case, they're…my friends. I haven't had a real friend in over two thousand years unless you count Moon."

Winter blinked a few times at that before looking away in shame. He had never really thought of it like that before. To think of the _loneliness_ that he must have felt locked in that cave for so long. And the constant hunger: he remembered the massive Nightwing being nothing but skin and bones when he was freed the first time. "She should be resting," the Nightwing said while looking down at the Rainwing in his arms. "But she wanted to be here when you arrived."

Winter furrowed his eye ridges. "How did you know we were coming?"

Darkstalker pointed at two Seawings on the other side of the room. On closer inspection, they were the same two Seawings that had lead them here. They must have seen them before, went to tell their superiors, and then came back to lead them here. "And to answer your other question, Turtle is in the Deep Palace with his mother and Anemone. They haven't left each other's side since she was found by a guard patrol early this morning."

"Was she okay?" Winter asked, but Darkstalker just shrugged. He didn't know. Hailstorm chose that moment to appear by Winter's side while looking at the Nightwing intently. Apparently it was introduction time. "Darkstalker, this is my brother Hailstorm. Hailstorm…Darkstalker."

Neither of them spoke to each other. Rather after a short pause, Darkstalker looked back down at the Rainwing in his arms. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I should get her to her room." He looked at Winter intently before turning away, "But you and I need to have a talk later."

Darkstalker nudged Kinkajou awake again and they both walked off in the direction of the guest quarters. "What now?" Hailstorm asked when they had gone.

A Seawing with teal-ish colored scales and an odd patch of lighter scales on his chest approached the two Icewings. Winter noticed the unique swirl pattern of the royal family on his wings when the Seawing bowed in greeting. "My name is Firkin, I've been assigned as your guide around the Summer Palace."

"We get a Prince as our personal guide?" Winter asked, not knowing whether to be impressed, confused, or concerned.

"Well, normally I'm a reef-house architect, but there hasn't been much of a demand for my services because of the…foreign invaders," he glanced at Zyfis when he said that last part but didn't comment further on a Changewing's presence in the Seawing's Summer Palace. "I'll show you to your rooms while the Queen is busy, but she'll be up as soon as she can. Probably tomorrow…or the day after." He shrugged apologetically and motioned for them to follow.

Hailstorm got Blaze and Zyfis's attention, and they fell in line behind them. He lead their group of four to the same corridor Ruby and Cataclysm and then Darkstalker and Kinkajou had entered earlier and motioned to four doors—one of which had guards posted on it. "Your friend is welcome to stay here in the Palace, but he must remain either with you or under guard at all times."

It didn't take a genius to figure out who he was referring to. Zyfis looked more than a little put down at the suspicious treatment but didn't argue as he walked into his assigned room. "The other three rooms are yours to choose from." Blaze entered the one directly across the hall from Zyfis's.

Winter looked at Hailstorm with a slightly forlorn expression to which the older Icewing replied to by draping a wing around his younger brother. "If at all possible, we'd like to share a room."

Firkin looked at him curiously but ultimately shrugged. "That's your choice, but these rooms aren't meant for two." Hailstorm looked down at Winter, and the younger Icewing sighed.

"I'll be fine," he mumbled, not really believing the words himself, as he began walking to one of the rooms.

"Wait!" Firkin called out. Winter looked back, curious as to the interruption. The Seawing Prince looked between them for a moment before sighing. "Follow me," he began walking back the way they came.

Once they were in the main room, Firkin took flight up to the fourth floor—out of five. Now that Winter thought about it, the layout was sort of similar to Ruby's Palace. Quite a few Seawings—all males—were walking around this level. They received curious glances from a few as they followed Firkin to a room on the north wall.

When they entered, Winter noticed that this room seemed lived in. Belongings such as scrolls or jewelry were strewn across the bed and parts of the floor. There were shelves filled with odd curiosities and an open chest with some more odds and ends. The desk itself was covered with blueprints and sketches. Winter understood as soon as Firkin said it. "This is my room. Pardon the mess," he said, sheepishly, as he began tidying up a bit.

"You're giving us your room?" Hailstorm asked with an incredulous expression.

Firkin looked at them solemnly, "I'm no stranger to comforting a brother that suffers from nightmares." Hailstorm and Winter shared a look before returning their attention to the Seawing who was now walking up to them with a key.

Hailstorm accepted the key from the Seawing. "Thank you," he said with a grateful smile.

Firkin smiled back at them. "It's no problem," he said while rubbing his neck with an embarrassed expression. "Turtle spoke highly of his Icewing friend, so it's the least I could do to help out."

"Where will you sleep, though?" Winter asked. He didn't want to take his room if he had nowhere else to sleep. That would be beyond rude.

He grinned mischievously. "I'll go steal Turtle's room since he isn't here to stop me. He usually stays in the Deep Palace, anyways. Make yourselves at home." With that, Firkin left the room, and the door shut with an audible click.

Winter dropped his bag on the bed for now. He'd move it later when it was time to sleep. "I'm hungry," he said simply after a moment.

Hailstorm chuckled at him. "Let's go fix that, shall we? I could go for some food myself, anyways." Hailstorm dropped the key in a pouch on his satchel before opening the door to see Firkin standing there with his talons raised to knock.

The two dragons stared at each other in surprise for a moment before the Seawing regained his senses. "I forgot to mention that the midday meal is about to be served if either of you are hungry."

"Starving," Winter commented from behind Hailstorm.

"Follow me, then," he said with a smile. Hailstorm made sure to lock the door when they had both left the room before the two of them followed their guide. They were lead to a large dining hall—more like a cafeteria than anything—on the second floor. There was a very large balcony with tables on the far end, no doubt meant for dining outside when the weather was fair like today. Already, there were quite a few Seawings out enjoying the fresh, sea air.

There was a vast assortment of seafood available to choose from, but Winter and Hailstorm merely settled for fish. Maybe he would try some of the more exotic foods later. They sat together at an empty table—their guide having left already. The others joined them not long afterwards, and so the group conversed with each other.

Winter's mind was focused on other things, however. He had until midnight tomorrow to make up his mind. He should already know his choice, though, shouldn't he? It was more difficult to choose than he expected. _This is a difficult choice to make. What should I do?_

_ No one can decide that but you._ Faredir replied. _Would you like more time to think about it?_

The offer took Winter by surprise. _Why give me the option?_

_ Because this is a difficult decision, like you said. I don't want to rush you into choosing something you will end up regretting. Would another week be better?_ Faredir waited patiently while Winter thought.

_Yes,_ he replied after a while. _I promise I will have an answer in a week's time._

He chuckled._ I'll hold you to that._

"Excuse me, Winter?" an unfamiliar voice broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the Seawing Spirit standing next to him, expectantly. No one else was reacting to her presence. He understood immediately. Based off of this encounter and the glances she kept giving him on their flight here, Winter deduced that she wanted to talk.

Privately…

Winter excused himself from the group, claiming that he merely wanted some time alone and some fresh air to help clear his head. All but Darkstalker accepted his excuse. The Nightwing didn't say anything, but Winter could tell he knew by the look in his eyes. "I have someone I would like to talk with, as well," he said as Winter began turning around.

The two walked out of the dining hall together but split up when they left, much to Winter's relief. He walked along the scarcely populated hallways until he came upon a small balcony looking out over the rocky outcropping the Summer Palace was built on as well as the surrounding reefs. The waves crashed against the rocks, and the mist and spray cooled his scales. "I assume you wanted to talk to me," he said to the Seawing Spirit that appeared next to him.

The balcony wasn't large, but she found enough room to circle him once like a shark before settling down beside him. "Indeed," she agreed. Her voice was deep for a female and heavily accented, but that didn't diminish the authority in her voice. It was quite an exotic mix—one that he found interesting to listen to. "Shade wanted me to discuss a few things with you, but first, tell me of my Champion I have yet to meet."

"Turtle?" he asked. She nodded. "Well," he began. "He's an animus, but I'm sure you knew that already." She nodded again, but he could tell she wanted more, so he thought about what made Turtle, Turtle. "He cares deeply for his sisters, I know that. I'm not sure about his relationship with the rest of his family. He is nervous around new dragons. Not really shy…more worried about what they might think of him. He likes to be accepted—to prove himself to others. I think he has a few self-confidence issues as well."

He looked at her to see she was staring at him curiously, once again. "How so?"

"It's just little things I've either heard or noticed. He doesn't like to try new things and berates himself whenever he fails at something," he explained. She hummed in thought but didn't say anything. He spent the next several minutes describing his friend as best he could.

It was when Oceania held up a talon to signal that she had heard enough did he finally stop. "I really would like to meet him," she stated. "However, my dear friend Shade wants _me_ to be your guardian Spirit for the next little while."

Needless to say, he was quite taken aback by that. "Why? Does Aurora know that you're taking her place?"

She smiled at him. "It's only temporary, but the reason why is because Shade believes you and Aurora need a little…break from each other. You both have said things that I'm sure you regret, so this will give you both a chance to calm down. As for taking her place, I'm not. Shade is worried about you, but he and Darkstalker are cooking up some schemes together, so he can't watch over you himself."

"So he asked you," he nodded, seeing the logic in her explanation. "What schemes, though?" he asked, curiously.

She laughed. "Shade is enigmatic at best. _Nobody_ knows what goes on in his head—not even Aurora. Darkstalker probably does, but if so, he probably wouldn't tell anybody either. Those two are more similar than they would like to admit."

"So what exactly did he mean when he asked you to watch over me?" Winter asked, slightly miffed. He knew he was important in the grand scheme of things, but did they honestly think he needed a bodyguard? Or maybe it was because they _didn't_ actually trust him anymore, so Oceania was here to make sure he didn't do anything to compromise their plans.

"Nothing as drastic as you're probably thinking," she commented. "Simply put: He wants you to have a friend with you at all times that you can trust. It's not because we are suspicious of you or anything. Shade truly is worried about you." She looked down with a ponderous expression. "I've never known him to trust a dragon as fast as he's trusted you. I don't know what you did, but you've made an impact on him."

"Okay… Not to sound rude or anything, but…why you?" He could rule out both Shade and Aurora for obvious reasons. If Shade didn't trust Stratos, that was another one ruled out. Arena seemed to be openly hostile against him now, so that's four ruled out. That still left the Rainwing Spirit—who he still didn't know the name of—and Sediment.

"Why?" she asked with an insulted-sounding tone. "Am I not good enough for you!?" Winter blinked at her a few times, not knowing what to say when she smirked and playfully punched his shoulder. "Ahh…I'm just messing with you!" Winter let out a small sigh of relief which, judging by how her smirk widened, she noticed. "That's a question you'll have to ask Shade, though. He doesn't tell anybody anything about his reason for doing the things he does, but we all trust him enough not to question him since things always work out in the end."

Winter was quiet for a while as the two just sat and watched the waves hitting the shore until he broke the silence with a smile. "If we're supposed to be friends, why don't we get to know each other?" She smiled back at him.

And so, the two spent the next several hours talking to each other. Oceania made for great conversation and company, and she made him laugh several times. _I can't remember the last time I laughed._ It was when the sun was starting its final voyage downwards that another dragon interrupted them.

"There you are," the Nightwing spoke. "I think it's time for you and I to have that talk." Winter swallowed the lump that had just invaded his throat. What could _possibly_ go wrong?

**AN: So how 'bout that? What is poor Winter going to do in this situation? What plots and schemes are Shade and Darkstalker cooking up? How does Oceania potentially play into said schemes? Who knows...**

**Oh wait, I do.**

**Before I go, I wanted to mention that Inferno has his own theme song by request of his creator:**

***Savin' Me by Nickelback**

**Say what you will about that band, but they have a decent number of really good songs, in my opinion.**

**Also, I probably won't post another chapter of Brighter Future today since I posted this, but I will have it out within the next few days.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	23. Chapter 22

Dragons Change

**AN: NOBODY PANIC! I'M STILL BREATHING!**

**I wanted to get this posted before the end of April, but...college. 'Nuf said. Anyways, for anybody curious, the reason I haven't done any chapters in Brighter Future is because I have been working on this whenever I have enough time. Good news, though: After Wednesday, I am officially done with the semester! WHOOO!**

**Now, I remember someone in the reviews saying that Winter doesn't seem like he's miserable all that often. Well, here you go, I made him extra depressed in this chapter. Also, I feel I should mention that this chapter is mostly filler since I needed to do some stuff with character relationships before the plot moves any further.**

**Also, I put a parody of "Drunken Sailor" in this chapter (by that, I mean I changed like...ten words), and I don't own the original lyrics and other such disclaimer stuff. There's also a mention that Winter sings a song after that one. I changed the way I wrote that one and didn't actually put the lyrics in the story. Rather, I tried to write how Winter felt while playing the song. The song title is "Song of the Sea-Lullaby Male Version" for anyone who wants to listen to it while reading.**

**And I think that's everything.**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Aurora and the Spirits, Faredir, and Flint belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Inferno belongs to his owner IceDragon07. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart. The songs mentioned in this chapter do not belong to me.**

Chapter 22:

Winter followed Darkstalker through the steadily darkening palace. It almost felt like he was following his executioner into the gallows since he was more than a little apprehensive about the coming conversation. What did the Nightwing want with him? There was only one thing that came to mind, really…

Was this about Moon? Did Darkstalker know?

"I do want to discuss Moon, but she isn't the main reason for this conversation," he replied to Winter's thoughts. He looked back at the Icewing with a frown. "There's no reason to fear me, Winter. I'm not that kind of dragon anymore."

Winter cocked his head to the side in slight surprise and confusion as the Nightwing returned his attention forward. "What changed?" he asked. He just _had_ to know. How could such a psychotic dragon turn from a monster that attempted genocide to a dragon that genuinely cares about his friends?

Darkstalker stopped and released a small sigh before turning to him. "Everything," he said with a small smile as he stopped walking. Winter didn't really know where in the palace they were, but there was absolutely no one in sight. "Now, before we get to the real reason for this talk, let's discuss Moon. You sent her back to the rainforest?"

Winter looked away as he was unable to meet the larger dragon's gaze, "Yes." Moon was Darkstalker's best friend in this new age. He doubted the Nightwing appreciated him sending her away.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I heard what she did and said to you. I probably would have done worse were I in your position, but I intend to have a _nice, long _chat with her. Her behavior has been unacceptable of late." Darkstalker grumbled something about 'stupid Changewings changing what didn't need to be changed.' Winter suppressed a chuckle, but his thoughts drifted to Moon and his smile fell. _I…loved her, cared for her. How could she do that to me? What did I do to deserve that? _

"I would like you to clarify something, though," he continued. "I can hear the thoughts swirling through your head, so don't bother denying what I say. You still care for her, even after everything she did to you. Why?"

Winter looked away in both thought and shame, for Darkstalker spoke the truth. Why _did_ he still care for her? And why couldn't he forget her even now? He loved Moon, but she hurt him. Then he began to love Aurora, but she did the same thing. He was beginning to wonder:

Was it them? Or was it him?

He closed his eyes, and when he did, he saw her. Every detail was as he remembered it. He could see her ebony scales, except for the silver teardrop scales on her eyes. He could see the star-like pattern on her wings. He could see her smiling at him like she used to when things were simpler. And he could almost recall her scent if he concentrated hard enough. He opened his eyes with a scowl. _This is becoming ridiculous! _"I have no idea," he answered the Nightwing's question with a frustrated huff. "She doesn't deserve me anyway," he half-growled.

"Don't say that," the Nightwing chastised him. "I know she hurt you, but you have to remember that she confessed her lies to you because she truly does care for you. The longer you stay mad at her, the greater chance you have of pushing her away forever." Winter looked at him with surprise that he would say such things. After all, this was _Darkstalker_—a dragon notorious for his dislike of Icewings because of his father—yet it seemed he was suggesting that Winter not give up on Moon quite yet.

"I'll leave it at that, so you can think about what I said," he finished. "Though, I have another question and this one is far more important." Winter furrowed his eye ridges at that but motioned for him to continue. "Do you still trust Aurora?"

Winter scowled at that. "Why should I? She's kept the truth from me over and over to the point that I don't think she even cares about me anymore. She failed to mention that I might _die_ when I try to control the anchor, and—"

"But you don't," Darkstalker interrupted.

Winter blinked a few times when he realized what Darkstalker said. "Excuse me? How could you possibly know that?"

Darkstalker chuckled at his dubious expression and tapped the side of his head with a single talon. "I saw it in a vision before I surrendered my power of foresight, and Shade has seen the same thing. It's safe to say that you survive the process. Why else would Aurora choose not to mention it to you other than the fact that it didn't need to be. She didn't want to cause you needless worry."

Winter rolled his eyes. "I asked her several times not to withhold the truth from me, and yet she continues to do so! And it seems like, each time, the truth she hides gets worse and worse!"

"What's the difference between her hiding the truth from you about such things and you hiding the truth about me from your brother?" he asked the Icewing with a critical expression. "Nothing!" he cut Winter off when he tried to say something. "You didn't tell Hailstorm the truth because you wanted to protect both him _and _me. It's the same with Aurora not telling you certain details that would do you more harm than good." He pinned the Icewing with a severe look. "She's simply protecting you the only way she knows how."

Winter glanced at him through the corner of his narrowed gaze. Before he could say anything, however, another voice broke the silence. "Darkstalker speaks the truth, Winter. You shouldn't be so angry with her. She is your friend, after all, and she truly does care about you." He took a breath before looking directly at Winter with a small smile, who had turned around to see the Nightwing Spirit's approach, "More than you know."

The Icewing studied him for a moment after hearing that last bit but decided not to comment on it. "I'm beginning to pick up on the fact that you two are up to something. Care to share?"

"No," he replied simply. Then he placed a claw on Winter's shoulder and stared at him seriously yet kindly. It kind of reminded Winter of the way a mentor would look at his student. "Though, I ask you to continue to place your trust in me."

"I _do_ trust you, Shade," Winter agreed resolutely.

The Nightwing Spirit smiled at that, "Good, I'm glad to hear that. Now, listen. I have some things to see to, so I won't be here for the next few days. I asked Oceania to make sure you don't get into too much trouble," he grinned and Winter couldn't help but smile back. "Take my advice and just have a few days for yourself. Spend time with your brother or your friends. Ask Oceania to take you on a tour of the Bay. Until the Queen, Turtle, and Anemone return from the Deep Palace, you have nothing else to do."

Winter hesitated for a moment before nodding. As much as he didn't want to be distracted, having a short 'vacation' would probably do him some good. Besides, Shade was right. Until Turtle and Anemone came back from the Deep Palace, he didn't have much else to do. "I think I'll do that," he agreed with a half-smile.

Shade nodded in acceptance and motioned for Darkstalker to come closer. The Nightwing did so and Shade looked at him. "Keep him safe, Darkstalker. More than that, though…" Shade trailed off for a moment, and Winter saw his gaze trail over to him. "Be the dragon he needs you to be."

Winter looked at the Nightwing quizically and the Nightwing was looking at him in deep thought. They both turned to Shade to ask him what he meant by that—Winter did, at least. He only assumed Darkstalker was going to ask the same thing.

But the Spirit was gone.

"Do you know what he meant by that?" Winter asked without looking at him.

Darkstalker was silent for a moment before nodding. "Yes," he said quietly.

"Care to share?" Winter asked, not really expecting an answer.

As such, he wasn't disappointed when Darkstalker didn't actually answer him. Though, he did, in fact, say something, it was quite cryptic. "That's something you'll have to find out on your own." He paused and looked over to Winter with a mischievous smile. "Though…since you have nothing better to do, why don't you come with me?"

"And go where?" Winter asked. "Besides, it's already dark out and Hailstorm will be worried if I don't return to our room soon."

"I'm sure he would understand," Darkstalker remarked off-claw. "Right now, it's time to relax and let loose—maybe do something stupid that we'll both laugh about. What do you say?" he asked with a smarmy smirk.

Against every instinct he had, Winter finally agreed and followed him through the palace halls until they were outside and flying in a southeasterly direction. "Where are we going, exactly?" he called forward. He really hoped Hailstorm wasn't too worried about him or that he wouldn't be too angry when he finally went back.

"To have some fun!" Darkstalker called back.

Winter saw a light off in the distance. Upon getting closer, he realized that it was a rather large island with dozens of Seawings gathered together and having a merry time, it seemed. They landed and Winter soon discovered that this was an outdoor tavern if the makeshift bar and the overwhelming scent of alcohol was any clue.

All of a sudden, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause and a jaunty song started playing. Darkstalker beckoned him forward to see what was going on, and he froze in surprise when he saw that it was Inferno playing with a group of Seawings. From what he heard, the lyrics went something like this.

_What will we do with a drunken Seawing?  
What will we do with a drunken Seawing?  
What will we do with a drunken Seawing?  
Early in the morning!_

_Way hay and up she rises  
Way hay and up she rises  
Way hay and up she rises  
Early in the morning!_

_Trim his talons with a rusty razor  
Trim his talons with a rusty razor  
Trim his talons with a rusty razor  
Early in the morning!_

_Way hay and up she rises  
Way hay and up she rises  
Way hay and up she rises  
Early in the morning!_

_Throw him in the ocean 'til he's sober  
Throw him in the ocean 'til he's sober  
Throw him in the ocean 'til he's sober  
Early in the morning!_

_Way hay and up she rises  
Way hay and up she rises  
Way hay and up she rises  
Early in the morning!_

_Stick him in a dungeon with electric eels  
Stick him in a dungeon with electric eels  
Stick him in a dungeon with electric eels  
Early in the morning!_

_Way hay and up she rises  
Way hay and up she rises  
Way hay and up she rises  
Early in the morning!_

_Put him in the bed with the royal daughters  
Put him in the bed with the royal daughters  
Put him in the bed with the royal daughters  
Early in the morning!_

_That's what we do with a drunken Seawing  
That's what we do with a drunken Seawing  
That's what we do with a drunken Seawing  
Early in the morning!_

The crowd was going absolutely wild by the end of it, and Winter had to admit that it was a rather catchy—if slightly barbaric—song. He looked around amidst the partying Seawings until he caught sight of Darkstalker heading over with a mug in his claws. "Here. Relax and have some fun! Stop being the savior of the world for a few hours and just enjoy yourself!" he said with a grin.

A few of the nearby Seawings had overheard Darkstalker and were looking at him now. He could see recognition on a few of their faces, and they were waiting to see what he would do. _Testing me, probably._ He looked at the mug containing some sort of Seawing alcohol. He'd never had alcohol before, but… He shrugged. "Why the hell not!" he yelled to the crowd and gulped down the entire glass in one go.

The crowd cheered him on and clapped him on the back to which he smiled and laughed along with of them. Darkstalker's smirk grew. "Not so bad, huh?"

All of a sudden his gaze shifted to somewhere behind Winter, so the Icewing turned around to see Oceania standing there, though nobody else noticed her. "You, Darkstalker, are a terrible influence," she said with a scolding tone. Winter almost looked away before she cracked a huge grin, "Of which I approve! Let's party!"

Winter and Darkstalker laughed and grabbed another drink from the nearby bar and clinked their drinks together before downing them. "Winter?" The named Icewing turned to who had said his name to see Inferno standing there with a grin. "I thought I saw you while I was on the stage." He ordered a drink and took a swig before continuing. "What brings someone like you to a place like this?"

"You mean '_who?'_" he emphasized. "It was his idea," he said while pointing at Darkstalker.

"Well, I, for one, am glad you came. Now then," he said while holding his guitar out to the Icewing. "I didn't get to hear you play last night, and I won't take no for an answer. Show me what you've got," he challenged.

Winter stared at the guitar for a moment before Darkstalker nudged him. He glanced at the Nightwing. _Something stupid, huh? _"Alright, then. How does this work?"

Inferno smiled when Winter grabbed the guitar and motioned for him to follow. He lead him over to the stage and shared a few words with one of the Seawings who proceeded to look at Winter like a Mudwing appraising a piece of meat. It made him slightly uncomfortable, to be honest, but there was no turning back now.

"Inferno tells me you want to play a song?" he asked gruffly. Winter nodded and he snorted. "Sorry to tell you this, but we don't know any Icewing songs." By his tone, he didn't really sound sorry.

"I know a Seawing song," Winter defended.

"Really?" He sounded unconvinced. "Which one?"

"I had a friend who sang it all the time, and he taught me how to play it. I don't know if this is the real name, but he called it 'The Song of the Sea.'" At that, the Seawing's eyes lit up in recognition and he actually smiled.

"A very good song, that one. My brother was actually the one who wrote it. I'm Sawfish, by the way," he held out a talon, and though Winter took it, his heart sank.

"Is your brother's name Swordfish, by any chance?" Winter asked, though he was afraid of what the answer may be.

Sawfish's smile grew. "Yep! So you learned straight from the fish's mouth, huh?" Winter nodded stiffly, and the Seawing's smile fell. "I get the feeling you know something I don't."

"Swordfish is dead," Winter nodded in sympathy. "He was with me and the other dragons who worked at the Sanctuary when we arrived in the rainforest. An assassin killed him because I was too stubborn to stay out of matters that didn't concern me." Winter averted his gaze as the same feeling of loss overcame him. He had never had the time to sit and think about it before, but that Changewing had killed his friend. Swordfish was too young to have the rest of his life stolen from him so cruelly.

"And that assassin…did you kill him?" Sawfish asked quietly. Winter nodded firmly and the Seawing released a breath. "Then there's nothing else to be done but to honor him by singing the song he wrote." Sawfish grabbed his drink and swallowed what was left. "Let's make him proud, Icewing!"

**(Start playing Song of the Sea if you want to listen to it.)**

Winter, Sawfish, and the other few Seawings took their places on the stage, but no one really paid them much attention yet. So, with a deep breath and an excited look from Inferno, Winter began his performance with a few chords from his guitar. The song started off slow, yet he gained quite a bit of attention when he spoke a phrase in an ancient Seawing dialect.

He knew this song by heart, so he let himself fall into the rhythms. It was one of his favorite songs, both to listen to and to play. There was just something about it that brought him a sense of peace, hope, and happiness. It was as if the song itself made you feel better.

He closed his eyes as he remembered the first time he had heard Swordfish singing the song to himself as he walked past the Seawing's room. When he had asked what song it was, Swordfish was embarrassed at first, but when Winter mentioned that he would like to learn it, the young Seawing smiled. He remembered how excited he was when Winter brought in his guitar—unfortunately, he didn't think to grab it before leaving the Sanctuary—and the two of them spent the next week together as Swordfish taught him the song. After that, Winter played it whenever he was feeling a bit down.

He cracked his eyes open to gauge the audience's reaction. After all, this was very unlike the previous song. However, he was pleasantly surprised that almost everyone was paying attention to him while wearing smiles.

As he kept playing he thought to himself, _Spirits, how I missed this._ He had always loved music, but being an Icewing Prince, he had never had the opportunity to pursue it as a hobby. Though, when he had met Flint and learned how to play the guitar for the first time…

It just felt natural to him.

It was hard for him to talk about his feelings, but music…music helped him express what he couldn't bring himself to say. It was his escape from reality, and when he wasn't working or stargazing, he was playing his guitar. Because the fact that he could create something so beautiful brought him not only pride, but peace as well.

It was proof that he wasn't a screw-up at everything he did. It helped him realize that being different wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Sure, he was a terrible Prince, but he no longer cared because he was able to do something that really made him happy. And that was okay with him.

When the song picked up and the flute joined in, Winter realized that Sawfish had joined his voice with the music. In fact, with a look and a subtle nod, Winter stopped singing and focused on simply playing his guitar while the Seawing took over the lyrics. He noticed that a few Seawing couples were dancing while the others watched with smiles.

It seemed he wasn't the only one that felt better when this song was playing. Maybe that's how Swordfish wrote it. If he had known that his friend had originally written this song, he would have asked about it, but as of now, he wondered about the story and motivations behind it.

He saw Inferno with a huge grin. Oceania was swaying with the music, he eyes closed and a smile on her face. Darkstalker, though…

For some inexplicable reason, Darkstalker look proud. Not the self-important, arrogant, 'I'm better than everyone else' pride, but the kind of pride Flint used to look at him with. The kind Hailstorm was beginning to look at him with. Though, he didn't understand why, he also found he didn't care.

Their eyes met, and they both smiled as the song neared its finish. He and Darkstalker had started off as rivals or even enemies, but they had both changed since then. He was more accepting and open with others, and Darkstalker… He had changed drastically.

Whatever had happened. Whatever the reason he had changed didn't really matter. What mattered was that he did. And _that_—combined with Shade's words from earlier—made him realize something. Darkstalker could make a great friend if he gave him the chance. _I could always use another friend like that,_ he thought. He watched as Darkstalker's expression morphed into one of amusement yet also gratitude.

Once the song ended, he walked straight over to his three friends. Inferno congratulated him, and he returned the hybrid's guitar to him with a, "Thank you." Inferno nodded with a smile, and Winter turned to Darkstalker as merry laughter sounded around them. "That's what Shade meant, isn't it?" he asked, rhetorically. "I've been so caught up with how things _were_, that I didn't stop to think about how things _could be._"

"I think we're all a bit guilty of that," the Nightwing replied with a nod. Oceania, seemingly realized where this was going, and walked a short distance away after giving them both a smile. "But I'm curious: Just what is it that you think Shade meant?" he asked with a small grin.

Winter shook his head and huffed in amusement. "I don't know if you planned this all out. Knowing you two, you probably did, but I don't really care. What I'm trying to say is this…" He paused and held out his talons, "Do you think we could move beyond what happened in the past? Because I could use you as a friend."

Darkstalker studied him for a moment with a serious expression before smirking and clasping Winter's talons with his own. "Only as long as it's mutually beneficial," he said with a smug tone yet an amused grin.

"Alright, boys, I think it's time we head back," Oceania spoke as she walked back up to them. Still no one was reacting to her presence, not even Inferno.

Winter nodded. To anyone else, it might have seemed like he was accepting Darkstalker's words, but the truth was he was agreeing with Oceania. "We should probably be heading back now, Inferno. Sorry," he apologized sheepishly.

The hybrid just brushed it off. "Nah, don't worry about it. I got to see you play, so I'm satisfied…for now," he smiled mischievously, though his expression become much more excited afterwards. "And you completely undersold yourself! That was amazing! You're a great musician!"

Winter smiled sheepishly at the praise. "Well, I just like to play is all," he shrugged while rubbing the spot over his heart.

Inferno's smile fell when he saw that. "You okay?" he asked, slightly concerned. Winter looked at him confused until Inferno pointed to that claw that was still rubbing that spot. There was a small cut where one of his talons pressed too hard that had leaked a small amount of blood.

Winter just stared at it for a moment before lowering his talons back to the ground. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, still a bit spaced out. "It's just a habit." He tried playing it off like it was no big deal, but his mind was conflicted. _I didn't even realize I was doing it. Usually, Aurora reacts when I touch that spot, and it makes me feel more at ease…but I can't feel her anymore._

That thought alone was enough to make him panic a bit inside against his logical mind's reasoning. _I know Faredir blocked my connection with her, but I should still feel something, right?_ _And why do I even care!? She lied to me!_ Despite trying to delude himself into thinking otherwise, he knew the reason. Aurora brought him back to life when he died. He wanted to be angry at her for lying to him and then threatening him when she thought he would betray her, but in truth, he had been trying to ignore one specific detail.

Aurora had been scared—terrified even—during the conversation with Faredir's projection. And though, a large portion of her fear was due to seeing her ancient nemesis again, he _knew_ beyond any doubt that there was another reason why she was scared. He had seen it in her eyes. It was the same look Moon had when he sent her back to the Rainforest. It was the look of someone watching the dragon they loved drift farther and farther away from them.

It was the look of hopelessness.

He felt a claw on shoulder, no doubt for comfort. "Are you sure you're okay?" Darkstalker asked with no small amount of concern.

"I've been a fool," he mumbled. He looked up at Darkstalker, the previous sparkle in his eyes replaced with a dull look. He could feel one of his dark moods coming on—the kind filled with self-loathing—and, if the perturbed look on Darkstalker's face was any clue, the Nightwing could hear those dark thoughts, too.

Darkstalker put both his claws on Winter's shoulders and craned his neck down to look the slightly shorter Icewing in the eyes. "Hey, it's not your fault, okay?" he spoke with quiet reassurance. "Everybody's angry at someone or something right now. Turtle's angry about his sister being tortured. Kinkajou's angry that Turtle hasn't been taking care of himself. Zyfis is angry because everyone looks at him with suspicion now. Aurora's angry at you. You're angry at her. And I'm angry because everyone else is, because why the hell not?" he tried to lighten the mood with a joke but became serious once again.

"That's why we're taking a break from saving the world. Despite what you might think, heroes are just normal dragons who are asked to do more than what should be expected of them." Winter glanced at him, and Darkstalker smiled at him kindly. "Which makes us all heroes if you think about it. Life isn't easy. It's full of struggles and hardships that each of us has to overcome…but that doesn't mean we have to overcome them alone. You asked why I changed?" he smiled, this time genuinely.

"I changed because Moon made me realize something. Power is only a means to an end, and it's up to us to decide what that end is. Sure, lasting peace for Pyrrhia is a good goal, but that's a tall order for a bunch of ordinary dragons. Rather, it's the little things, simple acts of kindness and love that we should fight for. To fight, not for ourselves, but for our friends, families, and our loved ones. To secure a better future for them by suffering through the hardships they won't have to. Do you understand?" he finally finished his heartfelt speech and waited for an answer.

Winter, for his part, just stared at him, completely dumbstruck. His earlier mood forgotten to better process what he had just heard…and _who_ he had heard it from. It was actually Oceania who broke the silence. "That was…just, wow…" She looked between the two of them before settling on Darkstalker. "I see now why Shade thinks so highly of you despite your past."

Darkstalker just bowed his head to her in both respect and thanks before turning back to Winter. "Just…think about what I said. Right now, though, let's get you back to your brother. I'm sure his company will do you some good."

Winter nodded absently as he walked to a more secluded area of the island and vaguely heard Inferno ask if everything was okay, to which Darkstalker replied that it was and he was welcome to travel with them or to check in on them tomorrow. He didn't pay attention to the rest of their conversation because Oceania approached him with a sympathetic look. "I've been a fool, haven't I?"

She wrapped a wing around him before replying. "Honestly, yes, you have." Winter looked away ashamed, but she continued, regardless. "But like Darkstalker said, it isn't your fault. You're only a dragon—a sensitive, confused dragon who had a hard life." She leaned in a softly kissed his cheek before whispering in his ear, "It's okay to make mistakes, Winter, as long as you learn from them."

He blinked a few times and then looked at her, puzzled. "What was that for?"

She blushed and turned away. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"You kissed me," he stated simply.

She blushed even harder and chuckled nervously, "Yeah, I guess I did. Sorry about that."

She tried to look away, but Winter caught her chin in his talons and turned her gaze back to his and gently kissed her cheek in return. "I don't mind," he said softly as he pulled back. "At least, as long as it's innocent, friendly affection," he smiled genuinely before realizing what he said with a slight grimace. "Ugh, I sound like a sappy Mudwing."

She giggled. "Don't let Sediment hear you say that. He may have a soft side, but he isn't sappy, and he doesn't like stereotypes very much. Besides," she said with a smile. "You should be proud that Flint had such an effect on you. It means you have a good heart."

He chuckled dryly at that. "So everyone says. Maybe one of these days, I'll actually believe it." She furrowed her eyes in slight anger upon hearing that but didn't get a chance to scold him because he started ranting. "I mean, I pretty much disowned Flint, the dragon I considered _a brother_ for eight years when he showed me who he really was because, apparently, I have some lingering prejudice for his entire tribe. Then, I send away Moon for using me and lying to me despite the fact she was trying to make up for that."

He took a breath before continuing. "I used to be a jerk when I was younger. And now, I just want to fix the mistakes I made back then, yet I can't forgive Moon for trying to do the same thing! If I can't forgive her, then why should anyone else forgive me!? And then there's Aurora! I _know_ she cares about me. I _know_ that Faredir is supposed to be my enemy. I _know_ that this should be an obvious choice, but it _isn't_!

"So no, I don't have a good heart," he proclaimed, venomously. "All I'm capable of is pushing others away. I pushed away Flint. I pushed away Blaze. I pushed away Aurora and Moon. Who's next? Hailstorm? Turtle? Kinkajou?" He sighed and looked away, not wanting Oceania to see him break down like this. "It doesn't matter who leaves next," he whispered. "Because they all leave in the end." He took a shaky breath to try and control his emotions when he felt a claw on his shoulder.

He turned, expecting it to be Oceania or Darkstalker, but his breath froze when he saw Hailstorm. The older Icewing looked understandably distraught as he pulled Winter into his embrace. Winter was too stunned to react other than to melt into Hailstorm's arms. "I'm not going to leave," he whispered. "Never again. You aren't alone, Winter, and I will help you work through this, no matter how long it takes."

"H-How are you here?" Winter asked quietly.

"When it started getting dark, I went looking for you. I saw you flying off with Darkstalker, so I followed you. I watched your performance," he said, and Winter could hear the pride in his voice. Almost as if he could read Winter's thoughts, he continued. "I didn't know you had such a good singing voice. And that guitar…you played like a natural. I'm proud of you. You know that, right?" Winter just nodded his head from where he had tucked it against Hailstorm's neck. He didn't trust his voice right now.

Hailstorm chuckled to himself, "I think even Narwhal would have to grudgingly admit that you did good." Winter didn't say anything to that. He knew Narwhal would've _found_ something wrong with his performance. Nothing he did was ever good enough for that dragon.

Hailstorm sighed and released him but motioned him forward with a wing. "Come on, let's get you to bed. You'll feel better in the morning." Winter nodded mutely and followed beside Hailstorm. The entire way back to the Palace, his wingbeats were almost mechanical as he was so deep in thought. When his talons hit coral, he finally looked up to see that they were inside the Palace already.

His gaze was drawn to the guest quarters and Flint's armband suddenly felt much heavier. He sighed. "I've been a fool," he repeated once again. Instead of following Hailstorm up to the fourth floor, he went over to Zyfis' room. The guards were nowhere to be seen, and he wondered if that was good or bad.

He gently opened the door and noticed the Changewing sleeping on the bed. He noticed some quill and parchment on the desk, so he decided on a course of action. He took off the armband and placed it on the desk before writing a simple note, folding it up, and placing it inside the band. It read:

_Your brother loves and misses you. Come visit him soon._

Satisfied, Winter left as quietly as he entered to see Hailstorm waiting at the end of the hall with a proud smile. Winter smiled and nodded back and followed his older brother up to their temporary room on the fourth floor.

The trip back up was uneventful, and when they got back to their room, Winter fell asleep under Hailstorm's wing again. He woke up early, much to his displeasure, so decided to just lay there so as not to disturb his still-sleeping brother. Unfortunately, an inactive body leads to an active mind.

His thoughts were drawn back to last night and his less-than-savory mood. He hated feeling like that, but it seemed that no matter what he tried, he couldn't stop himself from experiencing it again. Thankfully, he had good friends like Darkstalker—unbelievable though that may sound—and his brother to help him through such moods. _At least I'm not alone anymore._

Those first few months after Jade Mountain were…words couldn't describe how terrible they were. His dragonet-hood in the Ice Kingdom was terrible, sure, but even that couldn't compare to the misery he felt knowing that he had nowhere to call home and no one to turn to for help. It was undoubtedly the lowest point of his life. _And dragons are surprised that I have abandonment issues,_ he internally scoffed and then sighed as he looked over to Hailstorm. _At least_ he_ came back._ He shifted so his head was lying on Hailstorm's talons and felt the wing over his back tighten in response.

_I will_ never_ take him for granted ever again. He's been so patient and understanding that I sometimes wonder how I was lucky enough to have a brother like him. Most Icewings would have tossed me aside…like my parents did. Not Hailstorm, though._ He smiled and closed his eyes once more.

_You think very highly of him._ Faredir pointed out.

_Why shouldn't I?_ Winter replied._ Other than Flint, he's done more for me than anyone else. I owe them both my life._

_ Hmm…_ Faredir pondered that for a moment. _Your father,_ he started and Winter tensed,_ you did everything for him. All you wanted was to make him proud, but nothing was ever good enough. Why even try if you knew?_

_ You wouldn't understand, _he replied bitterly.

_ Then help me understand,_ Faredir requested softly. If Winter didn't know any better, he would have thought the Changewing Lord actually cared.

_It's none of your business,_ he snapped. Since he didn't hear Faredir's reply, he assumed the Changewing had wisely decided to back off for now. It was for the best anyway. Even if he chose Faredir over the Spirits, Winter doubted they would ever be friends enough for him to share his entire life's story. In fact, he could count the number of dragons who knew everything about his past on a single paw. There was Flint, of course. Aurora knew everything since she had always been watching him, apparently. Hailstorm was another because they were brothers. Moon because he wanted to be open with her. Those are the only dragons he's ever told the full story or something close to it.

And of those four, he had pushed all but Hailstorm away. Of course, each of them were pushed away for pretty much the same reason. They all lied to him in some fashion or another. After all, he was willing to trust them enough to tell them all of his deepest, darkest secrets, fears, and doubts, and they repaid him by keeping their secrets to themselves. _If I didn't know any better, I'd say none of them trusted me enough to tell me, but they all had their 'reasons' for not telling me._

But he did know better. In fact, the only one to blame in all three cases was himself. Aurora didn't want to worry him needlessly according to Darkstalker. Flint was afraid of what Winter might think of him if he found out the truth. Moon was too afraid to admit—both to herself and to him—that she had been effected more than she realized by the Changewing who replaced Qibli. And by the time they worked up the courage to tell—or had the truth revealed by someone else—it was already too late.

Winter didn't like to be lied to. It was even worse when the dragon that lied to him was one he trusted enough to open up to. Simply put, it hurt. It left him with a feeling of betrayal to think they didn't trust him like he trusted them. And unfortunately, when he was feeling upset, he tended to mask it behind his anger. Flint, Aurora, Moon…they all knew that about him. It was why they were afraid to tell him the things that ultimately caused him to push them away. They knew he would be angry.

And he had been.

Suddenly, he felt an arm wrap around his neck and pull his head into it's owner's chest. "What's wrong, Winter?" Hailstorm whispered with quiet concern. Winter didn't understand why Hailstorm sounded so concerned until he felt a wetness trail down his cheek. He had been so deep in thought, he hadn't realized he had started crying tears of regret, for that is what they were. One tear stuck itself on his upper lip, so he licked it off.

It tasted as bitter as the storm of emotions inside him.

He didn't say anything as Hailstorm just continued to embrace him to try and calm him down. It worked, eventually, and he merely laid there for a few more moments to completely calm himself. Hailstorm was the one who broke the silence. "You know, I keep thinking about your performance last night," he spoke. "I keep thinking about how happy you looked up on that stage playing that guitar." Hailstorm's claw that was resting on Winter's opposite shoulder had begun a soothing motion to further relax him. "I know that it must be hard for you to…talk to others about your feelings, but, for whatever it's worth, you can talk to me. I won't judge you."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Winter noticed that Hailstorm was glaring at the door as if it had offended him. "Who is it?" Winter called as he wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist.

There was no answer, so Hailstorm stood. "Wait here," he said before he walked over to the door and opened it a crack. Winter couldn't see who it was, nor could he hear the whispered conversation that was happening between Hailstorm and their mystery guest.

Eventually, Winter lost interest and laid his head down on his talons and closed his eyes. He heard the door quietly click shut and a set of claws making their way over to him. He merely assumed it was Hailstorm, so he paid it no mind. At least until they spoke. "For the record, you should be ashamed of yourself for guilt-tripping me like that," a deep voice spoke with a hint of amusement.

Winter's eyes shot open and he looked up to see the familiar gray-brown scales and bulging muscles that belonged to an oh-so-familiar Mudwing. "Flint," Winter breathed out in mild shock. Winter sat up without breaking eye contact with Flint, and he watched the Icewing rise without saying anything else. A few short moments passed as Winter realized that his adopted brother was actually _here_ before he shot forward and wrapped his arms around the big Mudwing's neck, though he didn't react beyond a surprised grunt. When he still didn't feel the hug being returned, he pulled away to see Flint staring back at him with an unreadable expression. Winter looked away, "You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

Flint's expression softened. "I'm a little upset, yes. Winter, the things you said about me hurt—especially coming from you. That's not even mentioning the way you looked at me like I was…some sort of stranger," he continued in a soft but stern voice.

"I'm sorry," Winter replied quietly. After a short pause, Winter decided to confess the reason he was so upset. The very same one he had just now realized himself. "I didn't—I didn't mean any of it. I was just confused and upset that you didn't trust me like I trusted you."

Flint sighed and gave a sad smile. "So that's what it was. I knew there was a reason you were so angry, but I didn't think…" He shook his head and sighed again. "Winter, listen to me. I _do_ trust you, and don't think for a _second_ that I don't, okay? Which makes what I'm about to say all the more difficult." Winter looked up at him at that and saw shame mar his features. "The reason I never told you the truth before all this happened was because there was really no need to. We were both happy with the way things were, and I didn't want to ruin that for either of us. When the Changewings attacked the Sanctuary and killed Mojave, I realized it was too late to come clean, and…" he paused for a moment and took a breath to steady himself. "And after seeing the way you killed the Changewing in Glory's Pavilion, I was—I thought if I told you the truth, you would be so blinded by your anger and hatred that you would kill me, too." Flint looked directly into Winter's eyes. "I thought that I could protect both of us by hiding the truth, but…I should have told you before we tried to rescue Queen Ruby."

Now that the truth had been revealed, it weighed heavily upon his heart and mind. "You were scared that I would…" he trailed off, not even wanting to finish the sentence. Flint nodded almost imperceptibly, and Winter's shoulders slumped. _It's not like his fears were unfounded,_ a sinister voice in his head spoke._ I was almost ready to attack him outside the Skywing city. I would have…if not for Moon._

Flint shook his head. "Look, that doesn't matter anymore. I'm ready to put this behind me if you are because, truth be told, I missed you, too." At that, Flint opened his arms and wrapped Winter in the familiar embrace. After a few moments, Winter reached out one arm blindly where he remembered Hailstorm was and, upon finding him, pulled the older Icewing into a group hug. Flint chuckled and Hailstorm just mock-glared at the younger Icewing for dragging him—literally—into this situation.

"Do you feel better, now?" Hailstorm asked. Winter just nodded his head from where it was pressed against grey-brown scales and smiled.

Flint was the first to break away and spoke to Winter. "I promise to be more open with you in the future if you promise me that you _never make me leave you again!_" he pinned the Icewing with a stern expression. "Because, three moons know, you end up in all kinds of trouble without me."

"It's not like I _try_ to find trouble," Winter quipped. "It just has a way of finding _me_."

"At least his sense of humor is back," Hailstorm remarked.

Flint chuckled a little at that before becoming more subdued. "If you don't have any more plans for today, I think I'm ready to tell my story." Winter stared at Flint in surprise before nodding in understanding.

Winter looked over at Hailstorm, and the older Icewing seemed to understand even though no words were spoken. "You two catch up. I'll go check on the others." He paused before shutting the door. "Stay out of trouble," he grinned before shutting the door with a click.

Winter turned his attention back to Flint who sighed. "Right then…I guess I should start at the beginning…"

**AN: Well, I hope the emotions in this chapter were up to par. It's not my favorite chapter in the story, but I think it was pretty decent. But what do I know? I just write the thing. Tell me your opinions, suggestions, and whatnot. I may not reply to most reviews, but I DO read every single one, even guest reviews, so don't think they are falling on deaf ears-figuratively speaking, you know since I'm reading and not...yeah, so...**

**Moving on, for everybody that wanted Winter and Darkstalker to have a fierce rivalry and always be at each other's throats...sorry to disappoint, but I need them to be able to work together since the two of them, working together, play a large roll in this story later.**

**Also, I won't put Flint's story in the next chapter or a perspectives because what I have planned could be a separate story on it's own. Therefore, when either this story or Brighter Future is finished, I will write a story that details Flint's life up until he meets Winter.**

**I think that's all I have for now, so...**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	24. Chapter 23

Dragons Change

**AN: I'm back with another chapter. I apologize that this one is so short compared to every other chapter (it's the shortest one yet), but I thought it ended in a good place and I didn't want to split up what I had planned next into two different chapters. I hope that you can understand that, especially when the next chapter is posted since it'll be quite a special one.**

**And before I go any further I just want to take a moment to chuckle good-naturedly at the guest reviewer who has been relentlessly hating on Aurora (not really). I read all of your reviews and I respect your opinion, but if Aurora and Winter being in a relationship ruins the entire story for you...well, sorry. I hope you and anyone else with a similar mindset sticks around anyways, but if not, I hope you enjoyed it thus far.**

**ALSO: IMPORTANT! There is something in this chapter that might be considered 'controversial' or 'going too far'. However, before you decide to throw things at me, I ask you to read my explanation at the bottom of the page. **

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Aurora and the Spirits, Faredir, and Flint belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Inferno belongs to his owner IceDragon07. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on Deviantart.**

Chapter 23:

Winter sat in the deafening silence of the empty room. Flint had just left after telling him the entire truth about his past, for the Icewing had politely asked for some time alone to dwell on the information he had just absorbed. It was…enlightening to say the least. It also explained a few things that Winter had noticed over the years. It wasn't anything world-shattering, but it was nice to know the truth. Now, he knew _who_ Flint was and not just _what_ he was.

Already, the way Winter viewed him was changing. There was much more to Flint than meets the eye, and he was surprised that the Changewing could still see the good in the world. _Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, though. Some dragons just have…good hearts._ He smiled to himself as he looked out the window at the late-afternoon sun. Flint's story took the entire day as he had expected, but he didn't mind.

Hopefully tomorrow Turtle would finally return and they could move things along. Then again, there were a few things he wanted to do first. "Hey," a familiar voice sounded as its owner sat down beside him. He looked at Oceania, mildly surprised that she was here, and was about to speak before she cut him off. "I know that you'll probably say that you want to be alone and ask me to leave, but we both know that you don't like to be alone," she said. "So I thought I would keep you company for now."

"Actually, I was going to ask if you would stay," he replied, to which she look genuinely surprised. "Because I actually would like some company, and…I have a request," he finished a bit awkwardly.

She looked at him quizzically, "A request? What do you mean?"

He nodded, then shrugged. "It's just something Shade said before he left, and I think it might be fun," he started before looking down somewhat embarrassed. "Could you…show me the Bay?"

Her curious expression immediately changed to a genuine smile upon hearing that. "I would be delighted to show you around the Bay, Winter." She stood and made for the door. "Come on," she said, excited. Winter got up and followed. A few Seawings on this level greeted him, so he would greet them back but never stopped to talk.

It was only when the two of them made it to the same small balcony where they had shared their conversation yesterday and Oceania had jumped into the water that he became a bit confused. "Shouldn't we fly? I can't breathe underwater."

She chuckled but beckoned him forward. "There is only one way to truly experience the sea, Winter. Don't be afraid." She smiled, "Trust me."

Winter was still a bit hesitant, but he had asked for this. He couldn't very well back out now—especially since Oceania seemed excited to show him around. So, closing his eyes and taking one last deep breath, he walked into the water.

At least, he should have. Despite the fact that he was continuing to walk forward, he hadn't stepped into the water yet. At hearing Oceania's laugh, he opened his eyes to see that the water had parted around him. He was literally standing in an air bubble several feet below the water's surface. He looked up at the surface, uncomprehending. "How…?"

"I'm the Seawing Spirit, Winter," she chuckled. "Water obeys my will." She beckoned him forward as she swam alongside and slightly ahead of him. He began walking, feeling mildly uncomfortable still.

He noticed her roll her eyes at him in amusement. "What?" he asked.

"We'll never get anywhere at this pace. Open your wings and take flight," she instructed with an excited grin. "Experience the wonders of another world like no other has before!"

She darted ahead, and Winter would have lost her had she not started glowing. Without overthinking things, he did as she asked and unfurled his wings. He noticed that the bubble expanded outwards to encompass his wings and decided to move them about experimentally. The bubble moved with them, so he took one more breath before launching himself into the air.

It was just like flying. If he closed his eyes, he never would have guessed that he was underwater, yet he was. He caught up with Oceania who smiled at him before pointing down. Then, she dove.

He followed. He could see Seawings swimming off in the distance among some underwater dwellings, but Oceania tried to keep them as far away as possible. Because this…would be difficult to explain. If anyone saw him flying through the water within a air bubble, it would definitely raise questions.

They traveled a bit further before Oceania stopped and gestured to the magnificent seascape before them. Winter landed upon the sandy floor atop a small rise and marveled at the coral reef. It stretched on for _miles_ and fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors swam alone or in schools through the maze of coral.

Which then brought out the hues of the coral themselves. Reds, oranges, greens, yellows, whites, and all manner of colors he didn't have names for yet created a natural beauty unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"What do you think?" he heard Oceania ask.

"It's…amazing," he breathed in awe. "To think that every time I flew above the surface, I was missing all of this." He looked at Oceania and saw her smiling at him once again.

"It's all about perspective, isn't it?" she queried. "The surface is beautiful in its own way just as these reefs are. _How_ beautiful depends on the observer." Winter nodded. That was true.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," he spoke. "Can we get closer?" he asked her to which her smile returned.

"Yes, but we must go slow. This is a delicate ecosystem. Whatever you do, though, do _not_ step on the coral," she warned him. Then, she closed her eyes in concentration for a moment. When she reopened them, she spoke again. "Try walking above the coral."

"But that's thin air…uh, water. How-?" she cut him off before he could finish.

"Shh…Have faith, Winter. Have faith," she said as she swam slowly out amidst the reef. She looked back and nodded encouragingly with a smile when she noticed he still wasn't following.

This time, when he stepped off the cliff, he made sure to watch what happened. His front foot went over the edge and a patch of sand swirled around before coalescing underneath it as if he was walking normally. He just stared in absolute wonder before trying it with his other front foot, and then his back feet. Soon enough he was standing on patches of floating sand above a coral reef…fifty feet below the surface. "This has to be a dream," he whispered to himself.

Upon hearing Oceania's laugh, he looked over at her. "It's a little trick I picked up from watching Arena. But instead of controlling the sand, I'm controlling the water _around_ the sand," she explained before beckoning him forth once again, excitedly. "Come on!"

He took a few more steps forward and the sand always stayed underneath his feet. "This is amazing," he breathed. Now that he wasn't concerned about falling, he could take in the sights the reef had to offer. He could see crabs scuttling about; an octopus that blended in with the rock it was hiding underneath as it watched the fish swim by it completely unaware. He saw an eel shoot out from its hole and snatch up a fish that wandered too close.

All these things and more he saw, and all the while he marveled at the twisting spires and massive monuments that the coral had taken the shapes of. "Is this natural? I mean—an animus hasn't designed this, right?"

She shook her head. "No, Winter. Just like the lowlands and forests, the highlands and mountains, the frozen plains, and the searing deserts; this is nature in its natural form."

"But didn't the Spirits create nature?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"Create nature?" she asked, amused. "Hardly. We may control certain aspects of nature, but we did not create it. We shaped the primordial world into something of our liking because we wanted our _true_ creations to live in a paradise." She sighed before speaking once more, this time in regret. "Though, we seemed to have failed in that regard, for your world has been plagued with cruelty and strife since its inception."

He looked over at her, momentarily dismissing the scenery around him to comfort his new friend. "I may be young compared to you and the other Spirits and I still have much to experience and wisdom to gain, but I've come to believe something," he started, and she looked to him curiously. "I believe that our mortal lives are meant to be hard. That way, when we die and journey to the Spirit World, we can truly appreciate the paradise that awaits us in the afterlife." He smiled at her surprised expression. "I may not remember my short time there, but every time I think hard upon it, I feel…at peace." He was quiet for a moment before finishing, "That's why I don't fear death anymore."

"Then what do you fear?" she asked gently.

He was silent for a moment before looking away and answering with a single word, "Loneliness." It seemed that the scenery no longer seemed as magical as it did before. Even when a fish swam into his bubble while safe in its own bubble of water and floated across his line of sight, he still couldn't bring himself to be amazed.

"But you're not alone anymore. You know that, right?" he looked up and saw that she had swam as close to his bubble as possible. He nodded without saying anything but grew confused when he saw her look behind him with a smile.

Then, she disappeared but the bubble remained. "Okay, this is probably the strangest place I have ever seen you…ever," a familiar voice said from behind him. He turned around—he would forever deny that he jumped in surprise at the sudden intrustion—and saw Turtle sticking his head inside his air bubble. "Probably the strangest thing I've ever seen, period…and I'm an animus, so I've seen quite a few strange things."

Thankfully, Turtle didn't mention what would never be mentioned. Winter's expression immediately brightened. "Turtle! What are you doing here?"

The Seawing snorted in amusement. "I think I should be asking _you_ that question, seeing as how you're an Icewing standing on thin air, in an air bubble, fifty feet below the surface."

Winter looked back out over the reef. "I just wanted to see what it was like down here," he said. He looked back at Turtle who was also now looking over the reef.

The Seawing was quiet for a short moment before speaking. "I've seen this reef hundreds of times before, so I guess I take it for granted now. It must be quite a sight for someone who's never seen it before, huh?" he directed that last part at Winter, and the Icewing nodded.

"I've traveled all across Pyrrhia and thought I had seen everything there was, but I guess there was a whole world I had never experienced before," he mused.

Turtle chuckled. "To be honest, there's quite a few places down here that no one has ever explored. I'm sure there's new types of creatures that have yet to be discovered. Maybe after all this is over, I can try and explore some of those uncharted areas."

"It would make a fine story, I'm sure," Winter commented with a nod.

"So…um," Turtle started. "How exactly are you down here?"

Oceania appeared beside Winter, and the Icewing saw Turtle's eyes widen upon seeing the Spirit. "I brought him," she replied.

"W-who or _what_ are you!?" the Seawing asked. "Some sort of ghost?"

Oceania rolled her eyes with an exasperated huff. "Has it truly been so long that _no one_ remembers us?" she asked no one in particular. She sighed, "No matter. My name is Oceania, and I am the Seawing Spirit."

Turtle looked to his friend for clarification, so Winter explained. "There are seven Spirits—one for each tribe—that watch over Pyrrhia. They've returned to our world to help with the Changewing threat."

Turtle studied Oceania for a few moments before responding. "I'm guessing that means that the threat is greater than we realized?"

"Yes, it is," she replied. "But we can speak more on that later." Then, she swam closer to Turtle, who was mildly nervous at her being so close, and placed a gentle talon over his heart. A few minutes passed a Turtle kept looking between her and Winter with a sense of unease before Oceania backed away with a disappointed sigh. "It seems I can't form a connection with you, either."

"What does she mean by that?" Turtle asked Winter.

"Each Spirit has chosen a Champion to help them, but I'm guessing that for most of us it's a mere title?" he directed the last question at Oceania, and she nodded regretfully.

"Yes, unfortunately. Only Aurora and Shade have been able to form the connection with their respective Champions, which means only you and Darkstalker have the means of truly facing…" she trailed off and glanced briefly at Turtle before continuing. "…Our enemy."

"Wh—"

"Wait a minute…" he cut in before Turtle could finish asking his question. "Darkstalker and Shade formed a connection?" That was news to him, though it made sense.

"Yes, though it is nowhere near as potent as the one you and Aurora share," she said before looking down in thought. "As a matter of fact, I don't remember any previous connections between Spirit and Champion being as strong as the one you and Aurora have."

Winter was taken by surprise by that and was quiet as he tried to digest that piece of information. "Faredir said something about that," he thought aloud. "For some reason, I can connect with Spirits without any problem while others struggle or simply can't. Why?"

"Who's—"

"I honestly don't know, Winter," Oceania replied as Turtle looked between them with growing aggravation. "If I did, I would tell you. Believe me, I would, but I just don't know."

"Is it because I died? Maybe my connection to the Spirit World…" he began but stopped when he saw Oceania shaking her head.

"The only connection you have with the Spirit Realm is through Aurora," she explained. "And even through her you can't influence it or be influenced _by _it." She looked at him sympathetically, "I know you desperately crave answers as to why this is happening to you and…why you have the ability to connect with us so easily, but I don't have them. And I'm not sure you will ever find them, honestly."

Winter looked away at that. He _did_ want answers to his many questions, but it seemed as if every time one of his questions were answered, more questions would spring forth. He just wanted to know: why? Why could he connect with the Spirits so easily? Why was Faredir so interested in him in particular? Why did he have to be the one everyone else looked to for leadership? But most importantly…

Why was he so special?

He had been a failure as a Prince. He was an outcast during his time at Jade Mountain. He was exiled from his tribe afterwards. Then, he was an academy drop-out followed by his time as a homeless vagrant. In the Rainforest Kingdom, he lived solely off the charity of others. And then finally, when the Sanctuary was built, he was nothing more than a two-bit scavenger researcher that most dragons thought of as a joke.

So, what made him so special when all he had ever been was a screw-up, a failure, and a useless excuse for a dragon? It didn't make any sense. He was just a nobody, yet here he was in the middle of so many different important events.

"I don't know what's going through you're head right now, but I've been your friend long enough to know that something's wrong," he heard Turtle say.

He shook his head with a sigh. "Just forget it, I'm fine."

But Turtle didn't. "As smart as you are, I thought that you would have figured out by now that I won't let one of my friends suffer silently if there's something I can do to help. It's not the kind of dragon I am, Winter, so…is there anything I can do to help?"

He was about to retort by asking why he cared when he remembered asking another friend that same question. He closed his eyes as the brief memory overtook him.

"_I did it because your life is more important to me than a few old rules, Winter."_

_ He simply scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Why? Because I'm supposed to save the world?" he asked, bitterly._

_ "No," she replied as she gently turned his head to face her. His breath hitched at the amount of concern in her eyes, "Because you're my friend, Winter, and I care about you."_

Hearing Aurora's voice again, even in a memory, brought back feelings of safety and security…joy and happiness…love and affection. Feelings he hadn't felt since Faredir placed the block on his connection with his Spirit.

Ever since he was resurrected, her presence had been a constant. Even if he couldn't see her, he could still feel her. It was a relatively short time that they had been together, but their bond had grown so deep that he could barely recall what it was like without her. And now that she was gone—and by his own choice—he felt…empty.

As if a part of himself was missing.

So instead of angrily retorting to Turtle's concern, he smiled at him sadly. "Thanks for offering, but I think there's only one dragon that can help me right now."

"Flint?" Turtle guessed, but Winter shook his head.

He turned to Oceania. "Where is she? I think I'm ready to talk to her now." Oceania didn't respond, though her slightly hardened gaze never left his own. "I'm not as thick as you think I am. I know you and Shade have been keeping us occupied while we were apart, but I'm ready to see her again."

"Are you sure?" she asked, seriously. He nodded, and she looked down with a sigh. "Very well. Though, I must admit I will miss your company." She shook her head to clear her thoughts before gesturing for him to follow.

"Wait! What about me!?" Turtle called right before his head slipped out of the air bubble.

"We'll catch up later, I promise!" he called back. "And Turtle?" The Seawing cocked his head, curious. "Thanks for being a good friend." The Seawing smiled and flashed a few stripes along his body before turning away and swimming back towards the Deep Palace, no doubt.

"He said, 'You're welcome,' in case you were curious," Oceania remarked.

"I thought as much," he said with a smile. With that, Oceania lead him back to the Summer Palace's second floor on the side opposite the one he and the Seawing Spirit had their conversation. This level had the library, apparently, as they passed by it during their walk. It was on a balcony overlooking the Bay that provided a spectacular view of the now-setting sun where they found the Nightwing and Icewing Spirits having a quiet conversation.

They stopped talking and turned around at their approach. Shade immediately looked to Oceania who nodded almost imperceptibly. The Nightwing Spirit said one last things to Aurora that Winter didn't catch and she nodded to him. He left the balcony and began walking over to where Winter and Oceania were standing. "You brought him earlier than I expected," he addressed the Seawing Spirit.

"I know," she replied. "But he says that he's ready."

Shade studied Winter for a moment before smiling genuinely. "Yes, I think he is." He placed a claw on the Icewing's shoulder and said, "Good luck, my friend." Then, without warning, he disappeared.

Oceania turned to him one last time. "It was fun while it lasted. Though, I find it a shame we didn't finish the tour."

"Maybe we'll still have time," he replied. "I'll see if I can get Turtle to come with us. I'm sure he would be willing."

She nodded with a smile. "I think I'd like that," she agreed. "Well, I better go. I don't want to keep you any longer than necessary, and I'm sure you're anxious to talk with her," she jerked her head in Aurora's direction for emphasis.

Winter looked in his Spirit's direction briefly before turning back to Oceania, only to find that she had disappeared, too. So, without any other distractions or obligation, he began walking to where Aurora waited. He sat beside her, yet far enough away to give her space if she so desired it. Winter waited for her to speak as they both gazed out at the sparkling Bay that looked as if it was liquid gold. After several minutes had gone by, and neither had spoken yet, he realized that she was waiting for him to make the first move._ That's fine, I guess. I just hope she listens._

"You once told me that you have watched over me for my entire life, so if anyone knows how difficult my life was and the kind of pain I carry inside myself, it would be you," he began in a quiet, somber voice. "Flint helped me through the worst parts, and I was getting better, but then…" he trailed off because he knew he didn't need to explain what she already knew. "Since this whole thing started, I've started to lose that progress, and no matter how hard I try to fix my mistakes, it seems like I only make things worse.

"Recently, it's caused me to push dragons I care about away, and you have no idea how much I hate myself for doing that to good dragons that don't deserve it. They…You just wanted to protect me. I understand that; I do. But you need to understand something, too." He finally turned to look at her, though her gaze was still straight ahead. "I hate being lied to, Aurora. It makes me think that you don't trust me as much as I trust you."

She finally glanced at him as he continued with a sigh. "It's the reason I got so angry with Flint and Moon, too. I just…can't handle being lied to by dragons I trust. It brings up memories I would rather forget but can't." He paused to compose himself and noticed that she was looking at him fully, now.

He was about to continue when she held up a talon, cutting him off. "I believe it's my turn to speak," she said gently. "As long as we're putting things out there, I would like to apologize as well." She sighed briefly before continuing. "I never should have threatened you like that, Winter. I made a promise to both you _and_ myself that I would protect and watch over you on this journey, yet what I said was…unacceptable and uncalled for. You know how afraid I am of Faredir, and I let that fear cloud my judgement."

She turned so she was facing him fully. "After this catastrophe and what you have said just now, I now know that hiding the truth—even if only to protect you from being hurt by it—is more likely to do harm rather than the good I was hoping to achieve. So, right now, I will answer any questions you have, nothing held back."

Winter looked at her in mild surprise. He wasn't really expecting this, but since she offered… "Okay, then. The only question I want answered right now is this: Why me?"

"Pardon?" she asked, not fully understanding what he meant.

"Why did you choose me?" he clarified. "Why is Faredir so interested in me now, when he was so dismissive when we first met? And why can I connect with, not just you, but other Spirits, too?"

She nodded in what seemed to be resigned acceptance. "The answer for all three questions is the same. I had hoped to avoid telling you until we found the anchor, but I promised you answers, so I will give them to you." Winter stared in shock. _She actually knows!? After what Oceania said, I didn't want to get my hopes up, but…she knows!_ He was almost vibrating with contained excitement at finally learning the truth.

"The Icewing royal family are direct descendants from the Icewing nobles from before the Great War. The Icewings of that time were very powerful dragons. They prided themselves on their ability to commune with the Spirit World before the war broke out and we were forced to close the veil between the two worlds. Even then, they harnessed the remaining energies in a new type of magic that, while not as powerful as raw spiritual energy, was potent in its own right. The Seawings, Skywings, and Sandwings were able to use this magic as well, in time, but it was the Icewings who were the original creators and thus were the most powerful. Back then, this new type of magic was called simply 'white magic', but it is known by another name in today's society," she paused briefly to see if Winter understood.

"Animus magic," Winter replied in awe after a moment. It's not every day that one learns the true origins of the most mysterious and oft misunderstood ability in the world.

She nodded. "Yes. During the war, there were many powerful Icewing Animi, but none were greater than your namesake. Though it wasn't as powerful as the dark magics used by our enemy, the first Winter proved that it could be just as dangerous in capable claws. He was the only dragon, mortal or otherwise, that could fight Faredir in open battle. Urfael knew this, and it was another reason why he directly intervened that fateful day. He couldn't allow such a dragon to continue to oppose him." She paused for a moment and then continued in a softer voice. "The fact that I loved him only made his death all the more necessary."

Winter gave her a respectful moment of silence before asking his question. "What does this have to do with me, though?"

She looked at him for a moment before looking up at the darkening sky. "Your namesake wasn't just the most powerful animus to have ever existed—stronger even than Darkstalker—he was also part of the Icewing nobility, and his was the only familial line to survive through the war."

Winter's eyes widened in realization. "He was my ancestor!"

She nodded once more as she looked back down at him. "I have watched over his descendants for several millennia, but _you_ were the first to be hatched with the same connection to spiritual energy that the Icewings of old had."

"But I'm not an animus," he countered. She was silent at that, and he became slightly concerned. "Am I?"

"Not yet," she answered, vaguely. "I am unsure why, though. I can sense the power within you, yet it's almost as if it has been locked away. Perhaps the anchor is the key to unlocking your potential…but that is merely speculation."

"Wait a minute," he shook his head, confused and slightly scared. "I _am_ an animus?" She nodded. "But I can't use my powers yet?" She nodded once more. He shook his head in disbelief. "But that's not possible! There hasn't been an Icewing animus in over two thousand years! Prince Arctic was the last, and he's the reason that the Nightwings have magic and the Icewings don't!"

"You seem to forget that Queen Diamond had a brother," she explained. "He was descended from the same animus dragons that Queen Diamond was, and since her line failed, it was _his _daughter, Snowfox, that became Queen after Diamond. It was _that_ line that lead to the present royal family. Just because there hasn't been an Icewing animus doesn't mean the potential was never there. Though statistically less likely, it was still possible for his line to produce an animus. And, of course, that probability went down with every generation afterwards, but _you,_ miracle though it may be, are the first Icewing animus since Arctic."

He just stared at her, uncomprehending and blinking like a maniac, before he closed his eyes and let out a slow, shaky exhale. Then, he opened his eyes and stared at his talons before clenching them shut. "I don't _want_ to be an animus! All I wanted was a normal life—one where I finally got better—and then all _this_ happens," he gestured at their surroundings for emphasis. "Why can't I have that!?" he asked her, upset. Then he sighed and began sulking.

Aurora was quiet for a long moment, simply watching the waves on the dark sea below them, before answering with a soft, gentle voice. "It's easy to see all the bad things in a situation such as this, but you have to remember the good parts, too. As you once told me, it is the reason mortals can continue in times of hardship, even when it seems the entire world is against them. Despite the impending darkness on the horizon and the lingering darkness of our pasts, it was this darkness that reunited you with your friends. It allowed you to see Moon once more, and it has shown you truths about yourself that you never would have known otherwise. And…" she paused and raised his gaze to hers with a gentle claw.

He shifted his gaze from the ground to her after a moment with a lost expression. "It brought me to you, Winter." She lowered her head to his level and rested her forehead against his. "I came here to save Pyrrhia from evil, but I have been given a reason much greater than that to stay."

"What reason is that?" he asked.

She chuckled. "I think you should be able to figure that one out on your own." She pulled away slightly, and Winter thought that was it until he felt her lips on his. Though surprised at first, he didn't hesitate in returning the gesture. It felt strange, for Aurora was nothing more than solidified air in this state, but he didn't complain. It was a slow kiss, full of love, and Winter wished it would never end, but unfortunately, he was mortal and needed to breathe. "That was…nice," she breathed out when they parted.

"Yeah…" he agreed. "It was." That was when he glanced at the sky for a brief second, but then stared in awed wonder when he saw something he hadn't seen since he left the Sanctuary. A beautiful aurora lit the night sky, and he could already see Seawings flocking to look at the natural marvel.

"I thought it would set the mood better," Aurora said as she nuzzled his jaw.

He smiled and raised his head to give her better access. That's when he remembered what Hailstorm said:

"_She's playing hard-to-get. She's making you work for it until what she deems to be the right moment."_

_His glare lessened somewhat, "Why?"_

_Hailstorm sighed wistfully and looked forward with a small smile, "Because the first time should be special."_

He glanced at her happy and contented expression and decided that this was about as special as it could be. "Aurora?" She hummed in response and looked at him. "For what it's worth, I'm glad I met you. We've grown quite close since we first met, and I couldn't imagine life without you anymore because…" he paused waiting for her to disappear or run away or cover her ears or something, but she merely waited expectantly for him to finish. "…because I love you."

She smiled lovingly at him. "I love you, too, Winter," she replied, and then they shared another kiss before watching the dancing aurora and twinkling stars while finding comfort in the other's embrace.

The rest of the night blurred together. All he knew for certain was that he fell asleep sometime while he was safe in Aurora's embrace, and it was almost mid-day before he awoke in his and Hailstorm's room. At first, he thought it was a dream until he heard a most welcome voice reply in his mind. _It was no dream, Winter._ He smiled upon hearing her voice but grew confused.

_What of Faredir's block? I thought we couldn't connect to each other?_

She chuckled. _I knew you were tired, but you really don't remember anything, do you? You contacted him last night and asked him to remove it because you made your choice._

He nodded while memories of last night slowly trickled in. _He didn't sound too disappointed from what I recall,_ he pointed out.

_You sound surprised,_ she replied sarcastically._ He didn't care for you, Winter, and he never would have…Not like I do,_ she finished quietly. Winter smiled at that. _You should probably get down here, though. Turtle, Anemone, and Queen Coral have returned from the Deep Palace. Ruby is speaking with the Queen right now._

_Why didn't you wake me?_ he asked, curiously, as he got up and made his way to the door.

_You needed the rest. Besides, you mumble in your sleep, and it's kind of adorable._ Winter stopped moving in surprise—his talons hovering above the doorknob—and he could feel a massive blush on his cheeks. Then, he heard her laugh, and that knocked him out of his momentary stupefaction.

It didn't take him long to find his friends gathered in the Palace's nexus area. They turned to watch him as he approached. "What did I miss?" he asked with a grin.

"Not as much as we missed!" squealed Kinkajou. Hailstorm and Oceania have been telling us everything that happened to you guys since we split up. Spirits! Demigods! Magics!" She was positively glowing with excitement, and Winter raised an eye ridge at her, puzzled.

"It made for a good story," Anemone agreed. "One I wouldn't believe had I not lived through a hell that proved it all true." She looked down and away as she rubbed her arm in obvious unease. Turtle tried wrapping a wing around her, but she just shrugged it off. "I think I'm going to find mom," she said without looking at her brother before walking away.

Turtle watched her go, concern obvious in his expression. "She'll be fine," Kinkajou tried to comfort him. "She's stronger than she lets on."

"Believe me, I know. I just hope she hasn't reached the end of her strength," Turtle replied.

"I would be more concerned about yourself," Darkstalker admonished him.

Turtle sighed. "Yeah, probably, but…she's my sister. I'm just worried about her." Turtle tried to put on a smile as he looked at the Nightwing, but it seemed slightly strained. "And I know who to go to if I have any more problems." Darkstalker studied the Seawing for a moment before eventually relenting with a nod.

Watching that exchange once again made Winter curious as to what happened between the three of them to cause such a difference in their group dynamic. "So…what now?" Blaze asked.

All eyes turned towards her for a moment before everyone looked back at each other. "It's a good question," Hailstorm agreed. "We've been waiting for you," he gestured at Turtle for emphasis, "To come back so we could…" He trailed off in uncertainty and looked at Winter. "What have we been waiting for?"

"We need Coral's cooperation," answered Oceania. "If the anchor is hidden somewhere in the Bay, we'll need Seawing scouts out looking for it." She looked at Turtle sympathetically before continuing. "Unfortunately, Anemone has yet to inform us of anything that might be useful."

"And we're absolutely sure that it's actually her?" Kinkajou asked.

Darkstalker nodded. "It's her," he said simply.

"She just needs time, guys. I doubt what she experienced was easy on her," Turtle pled.

"We may not have time!" Flint argued. "The Changewings are searching for the anchor," he explained. "If they find it before we do, then everything we have done will have been for nothing!"

"I know that!" Turtle snapped back. "You can't honestly say you would rather push a dragon further than they're willing to go, are you? For one, that's my sister! And second, aren't you supposed to be the empathetic one?" Flint narrowed his eyes dangerously and was about to retort when he was interrupted.

"This is quite enough!" Aurora walked up to the group with a furious expression. "This bickering must stop! We have more important things to do than argue with each other." She looked to Turtle. "Ruby needs help convincing your mother of the importance of our objective," she said. The Seawing nodded and walked in the direction Anemone had gone earlier. "Darkstalker, see if you can get any information from Anemone. She was quite smitten with you last time you returned, so maybe she'll trust you enough to open up."

Darkstalker didn't look too comfortable with the idea but didn't argue and soon walked off as well. "Nice of you to join us," Winter smiled at her.

She snorted in amusement. "I would have come sooner, but I was speaking with Coral as well. She seems adamant to refrain from aiding us." She looked away with a 'hmm.'

"I don't like that 'hmm' in this context, Aurora," Winter said with a hint of concern. "Should we be worried?"

She shook her head. "I must confer with Shade before I make any decisions regarding what to do next. Until then, the rest of you can do what you wish." With that, she disappeared.

"So, uh…What's on the activities list?" Kinkajou asked.

Hailstorm's face lit up and he ran off without a word. Everyone watched him go with confused expressions which quickly turned to intrigue—or, in Winter's case, a mix of astonishment and elation—upon his quick return. For clutched in his talons…was a guitar. "I wanted to give you something to make up for all the hatch-days I missed, so I asked around and bought this from an old Seawing whose son was a musician by hobby that died during the Sandwing war." He gave it to Winter who held it reverently.

It was dusty and the wood had a few scrapes and scratches, but overall, it was in good condition. He gave it a test strum, and the sound it created was so off-key it made everyone shudder. "It's a bit out of tune," Winter grinned, sheepishly. He was excited, though. He hadn't actually owned a guitar since he left his old one in the Sanctuary.

He adjusted the tuning pegs a little, tested it, adjusted some more, tested it again…

After a short while had passed, Winter gave it another go, and it sounded much better. He played an easy, short piece as a test, to which he received applause and smiles from his friends, before he turned to Hailstorm. "Thank you. This means a lot," he said, sincerely. He wrapped his brother in a one-armed hug that was returned without hesitation.

"Anytime, little brother," he replied.

**AN: So...? What did you think about that? I know that Winter being an animus is a bit of a twist and I took some creative liberties with his family tree, BUT if you look at the Icewing Royal Family tree, it does show that Queen Diamond had an unknown and unnamed sibling. I decided to go with brother in this case, but any sibling of Diamond would still have the animus gene since it's genetic, and they would have the same parents and be descended from the same animus dragons as Diamond's familial line was. It would be recessive, though, so any generation afterwards would be less likely to have a dominant animus gene, but it's still possible.**

**I hope that makes sense to everyone else. It makes sense to me, otherwise I wouldn't have written it. I don't put things in here on a whim. I did my homework and I thought it out, so... Yeah.**

**Anyways, tell me your thought and opinions. Constructive criticism is welcome, as well.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


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